It's not the most highlighted production in the Netflix catalog this June. And yet, it quickly climbed into the Top 10 of the most viewed series on the streaming platform. If you read us regularly, you know that this ranking doesn't mean much (right? Sirens). Nevertheless, we must admit that in this case, we're rather happy to see Merciless in this position, giving it all the visibility it deserves.
We can't say that action thrillers are lacking on the SVoD service, but this six-episode Korean series of about fifty minutes each quickly captured our attention with its brutal proposition – yes, we're big romantics – which doesn't skimp on action while offering us a pleasant universe to follow. We'll tell you more just after this non-commercial break.
The story of the series
Nam Gi-joon cut ties with the gangs years ago, cutting his own Achilles tendon to sign his renunciation. His brother climbed the ranks until he was offered the opportunity to takethe head of one of the two most powerful organizations. The latter's sudden death brings Gi-joon back into the field, searching for the murderer.
The return of this legend of the underworld will undermine the fragile truce between the two rival gangs and events will accelerate, threatening the power of both sides. Who will take the first step towards escalating violence, and who will be able to stop Gi-joon?
Thank You and Bloody
Thank You is not the most original show of the moment, including the most successful. The first episode alone almost lost us several times with its multitude of characters introduced so quickly that it was hard to grasp their respective roles within the criminal organizations. And while the two or three initial action sequences promise great things, we fear that the series will not be able to keep up the pace over the entire six episodes; it seems impossible.
How good it is to be wrong! The plot, although clumsy and recycled at times, manages to lead the boat from start to finish with just the right amount of twists and turns and backstabbing to keep us enjoying it until the end. Original? No. Effective? Certainly. To the point where we regret that some protagonists are not more developed, sacrificed on the altar of action.
Because there's plenty of brute force! As soon as Nam Gi-joon sets foot in the city again, he intends to walk on everything that crosses his path, with a delightful radicalism. Here, there's no deluge of lead, we're in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Bones crack and blood splatters the walls amidst exaggerated choreography, but so satisfying on screen. Fists, hammer, baseball bat, knives... The whole series is generous in its pain, whether it's a hundred against one or in duels where the disproportion never apologizes for being there.
Sans Merci takes it all in, doesn't beat around the bush unnecessarily, and lets our unstoppable, lame angel of death land punches to whoever deserves it (either the entire cast). We're in the middle of a spectacle, of one-upmanship, of explosiveness. No two sequences are alike, but the goal remains the same: to give us value for our money.
As the main character, So Ji-seob plays the silent type, carrying a perpetually sad figure, letting only his body speak. A very solid performance that manages to convey the full expression of this antihero's implacability with little substance. When he enters a room, despite his injuries, his handicap, we know it's going to hurt. And we're never disappointed.
A man demanding revenge will pile up mountains of corpses in his path, we know the story and yes, we know, we're going to quote John Wick AGAIN. It's not our fault if the man has left his mark on popular culture in recent years. Yet, if Merciless is a better spin-off of the franchise than an official one (follow our gaze), the series draws more of its inspiration from Old Boy – just for its sequence in a corridor – and from The Raid for its approach to physical combat rather than armed combat.
This is perhaps what Korean productions do best in the end, absorbing trends, references, and bringing out the best in order to deliver relentless series and films with a strong national identity. From Parasite to Squid Game to this Merciless, we always have this feeling of being on both familiar and new ground. A mixture that suits them well and that we savor without restraint. And that deserves a few thanks.
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