109
385
13
2
4
2
4
7
1
7
1
1
2
3
5
2
9
"Do you know what the rich want?...To get richer"
If you watched the first three Roundup films then you know what to expect from The Roundup: Punishment. Our wrecking ball ahjussi hitter takes on cyber crime this time around with his team and comic relief criminal sidekick.
Detective Ma makes a promise to a grieving mother that he will find the criminals responsible for her son’s death. The investigation takes him and his team into the world of cyber gambling and sundry crimes. What he’s not initially aware of is he’s dealing with The I.T. Genius and his vicious, knife-wielding enforcer. Ma will have to call in help from the police department’s own I. T. crowd and also the shady Jang I Su.
There is something about Ma Dong Seok I find compelling to watch, even if he’s just throwing hands at bad guys and little else. I thought Ma “no cartilage” Dong Seok moved smoother in this film which was probably due to better choreography and shorter scenes. His punches and ducking were swifter and of course with a little movie magic, always highly effective. The bad guys, led by Kim Mu Yeol’s Baek Chang Gi used knives which I’m not a huge fan of and didn’t think the knife fight choreography was particularly creative. I was only invested when Ma and his meaty fists entered the room.
The film which bounced between the Philippines and RoK lost focus a few times, which may have been more to translation issues. Ultimately, when the big hearted, pounding hitter wasn’t on screen, the story’s momentum faltered. I enjoyed Roundup Punishment for what it was, and in that I wasn’t disappointed. If you’ve watched the other entries in this franchise this is one to give a try. The Big Guy with No Cartilage rarely disappoints.
10 April 2026
Ma has quipped that he has “no cartilage” in interviews before. Glad he’s still able to make the movies he wants for now!
Detective Ma makes a promise to a grieving mother that he will find the criminals responsible for her son’s death. The investigation takes him and his team into the world of cyber gambling and sundry crimes. What he’s not initially aware of is he’s dealing with The I.T. Genius and his vicious, knife-wielding enforcer. Ma will have to call in help from the police department’s own I. T. crowd and also the shady Jang I Su.
There is something about Ma Dong Seok I find compelling to watch, even if he’s just throwing hands at bad guys and little else. I thought Ma “no cartilage” Dong Seok moved smoother in this film which was probably due to better choreography and shorter scenes. His punches and ducking were swifter and of course with a little movie magic, always highly effective. The bad guys, led by Kim Mu Yeol’s Baek Chang Gi used knives which I’m not a huge fan of and didn’t think the knife fight choreography was particularly creative. I was only invested when Ma and his meaty fists entered the room.
The film which bounced between the Philippines and RoK lost focus a few times, which may have been more to translation issues. Ultimately, when the big hearted, pounding hitter wasn’t on screen, the story’s momentum faltered. I enjoyed Roundup Punishment for what it was, and in that I wasn’t disappointed. If you’ve watched the other entries in this franchise this is one to give a try. The Big Guy with No Cartilage rarely disappoints.
10 April 2026
Ma has quipped that he has “no cartilage” in interviews before. Glad he’s still able to make the movies he wants for now!
Was this review helpful to you?
