This review may contain spoilers
Poor script, surprisingly polished execution.
Knock Out has a very strong cast; there were several moments where I felt the need to go back just to watch how one of them acted in a scene again just because it was intriguingly convincing. This was particularly true of Nice although everybody held their own.
The biggest downfall, however, is the story. While Knock Out tries to handle dark subject matter and occasionally delivers thoughtful messages pertaining to such, it becomes increasingly difficult to take seriously given the nature in which it's depicted. Yut's comically-evil archetype would give Carbon from Jack and Joker a run for his money, and the way their veins lit up like IMAX whenever they injected steroids had me in stitches laughing.
Even with the amount of turns the narrative takes Knock Out is shockingly predictable. In the beginning, it goes out of its way to show the two main antagonists as overly charitable philanthropists, and quite honestly, the big reveals that they have been actually evil all along just do not hit at all.
It also does not bother to properly flesh out its arcs, as the central conflict to Keen's character is resolved within the first couple episodes. There was also Typhoon's sudden change of heart, which was not hinted at whatsoever until the final episodes.
All that said, the production quality and cast are the strongest parts of this series. Nice and Gunner's performances are absolutely worth the watch on their own, but if you're in this more for story purposes, Knock Out will likely leave you hanging.
The biggest downfall, however, is the story. While Knock Out tries to handle dark subject matter and occasionally delivers thoughtful messages pertaining to such, it becomes increasingly difficult to take seriously given the nature in which it's depicted. Yut's comically-evil archetype would give Carbon from Jack and Joker a run for his money, and the way their veins lit up like IMAX whenever they injected steroids had me in stitches laughing.
Even with the amount of turns the narrative takes Knock Out is shockingly predictable. In the beginning, it goes out of its way to show the two main antagonists as overly charitable philanthropists, and quite honestly, the big reveals that they have been actually evil all along just do not hit at all.
It also does not bother to properly flesh out its arcs, as the central conflict to Keen's character is resolved within the first couple episodes. There was also Typhoon's sudden change of heart, which was not hinted at whatsoever until the final episodes.
All that said, the production quality and cast are the strongest parts of this series. Nice and Gunner's performances are absolutely worth the watch on their own, but if you're in this more for story purposes, Knock Out will likely leave you hanging.
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