The Roundup Movie Review, Ma Seok Do's Heroic Action When He Was A Police

The Roundup (Instagram.com/aboentertainment)

JAKARTA - The Roundup has surpassed 8 million viewers in South Korea this Saturday or 18 days after its release, according to distributor ABO Entertainment Co, as quoted by Yonhap.

This is a new achievement since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020. Meanwhile in Indonesia, the 106-minute film officially premiered on the CGV cinema network starting June 1.

In this film, action scenes combined with comedy with a relatively easy to understand storyline are the packages presented in The Roundup or The Outlaws 2, a South Korean film by director Lee Sang-yong which again stars actor Ma Dong-seok or often called Don Lee.

As in the previous work, The Outlaws, the center of the story in The Roundup still revolves around the heroic policeman Ma Seok-do (played by Ma Dong-seok) and his team in the Geumcheon police crime unit, Seoul, South Korea.

This film is set in 2008 or four years after the operation to arrest criminals in Garibong-dong, Guro District, Seoul including Jang Chen (Yoon Kyesang) and his colleagues who brutally massacred the powerful thugs in the area.

The story begins when Ma Seok-do gets the task of repatriating a fugitive who fled to Vietnam. He goes to one of the countries in the Southeast Asia region with Captain Jeon Il-man (Choi Gwi-hwa).

One of the fugitives turned himself in. However, both of them intuitively realized that something was wrong with the fugitive's confession. They then start an unauthorized investigation that leads to a psychotic killer named Kang Hae-sang (Son Seok-gu). He has been committing crimes against tourists for years and recently murdered the only son of a Korean business tycoon.

Kang Hae-sang was truly portrayed as a vile figure. He without much to say mercilessly finish off people who are considered enemies with machetes or knives that are nearby. Hae-sang also has a fighting ability that is quite capable so that almost no one survives from him. Hae-sang is quite temperamental and not the loyal type to his co-workers. This then became a problem for him.

On the other hand, Ma Seok-do and the captain had to work extra hard to catch Hae-sang who actually returned to South Korea. What brought him home?

The Roundup follows a simple plot like the first film. Previously, the film focused on efforts to eradicate violent gangster crimes, this time on the chemistry or the sense of connection between the members of Seok-do's team which is colored by antics. Scenes of violence and cruelty may make some viewers cringe.

The fight between Ma Seok-do and Kang Hae-sang became one of the highlights in the film. Both are able to create a battle that looks real. In terms of appearance, Ma Seo-do's body looks bigger than before. The character is tough, rough but witty.

Meanwhile, Son Seok-gu brings the psychopathic villain to life with a cold facial expression, dark eyes, sinister smile and disheveled dress style that surpasses Jang Chen in "The Outlaws."

Quoted from ANTARA, Don Lee at a press conference said he had polished some special skills such as judo and martial arts besides boxing. He also praised Seok-gu's ability to carry out action scenes and adjust the dynamics of the film.

Meanwhile, speaking of humor in the film, the presence of the figure of Jang I-soo, played by Park Ji-hwan, becomes a part that has an important role. This time, I-soo is no longer a gang boss but a businessman in the field of service providers which he thinks is legal. He was later caught red-handed opening a marriage brokerage service.

Ji-hwan was able to bring Jang I-soo's character to life who was witty, especially in terms of emotions and facial expressions when he had a dialogue with Ma Seok-do. Even in tense situations, his acting can still bring laughter.