A Twisted Vigilante Takes Matters Into His Hands in This High Stakes K-Drama

Is the justice system enough? According to trainee police officer Kim Ji-yong (Nam Joo-hyuk), the answer is a resounding “no,” particularly due to the traumatic tragedies of his childhood where the court of law failed him dismally. But Ji-yong decides to take matters into his own hands in the K-drama Vigilante, where he doles out his own perception of justice to those who have evaded it. The creator of the series, Yoo-seok Moon, is known for his projects Oh! My Ghost and The Devil Judge, but takes a more sinister and thriller-like approach to this drama. Based on Kim Kyu-Sam‘s webtoon series of the same name, Vigilante is a high-stakes, fast-paced narrative that explores the intrinsic limitations of the law and exploits them through the compelling characterization of a junior cop moonlighting as a vigilante on the weekends.

What Is the K-Drama Series ‘Vigilante’ About?

At first, Vigilante operates the same way the widely praised show Dexter does: a man who works within the field of law enforcement doubles as a criminal punisher in his spare time. However, instead of harboring homicidal tendencies like Dexter (Michael C. Hall) does, Ji-yong is driven by a more deep-rooted personal vengeance from his childhood. The pilot opens up with a sordid black-and-white scene of Ji-yong’s mother’s murderer getting away with a lighter sentence of involuntary manslaughter while also taunting the poor, grievous boy. This defining incident encouraged Ji-yong to not only be a police officer, but the best in his ranks, with a side of vigilantism as he hunts down his mother’s murderer, metes out justice to a rapist doctor, or humiliates your average thug.

Just like the protagonist, the series is relentless and untiring, surging forward to a high-stakes denouement where the varying storylines revolving around multiple characters converge. Ji-yong’s weekend activities suddenly get spotlighted by an interested reporter, Choi Mi-ryeo (Kim So-jin), who is vying for a big story, and also relishes the attention gained from the violent actions of the mysterious vigilante. Similarly, Ji-yong is approached by another avid supporter, Cho Kang-Ok (Lee Jun-hyuk), who financially invests in the young man’s extracurricular activities, allowing him to operate on a grander scale. But there are people against him, namely the team leader of an investigation unit tasked with finding and stopping the figure from skirting around the law, Chief Jo Heon (Yoo Ji-tae).

By placing the two parallel storylines of Ji-yong’s police officer training and his personal criminal-chasing mission next to each other, the series effortlessly sifts between the commentary of whether vigilantism is justified and pokes at the gaping holes in the justice system. Much of this includes in-class lectures where they discuss hypothetical scenarios of criminals being under-sentenced due to limited evidence, or being put away for different crimes so that their more heinous ones go unnoticed. Despite Ji-yong’s passion in these debates, no one guesses his connection to the increasingly infamous vigilante that is threatening the local criminals while garnering appreciation from victims.

However, Vigilante’s true strength doesn’t necessarily come from its commentary, but rather its action-packed and aggressive direction. Like The Equalizer, the show has a straightforward premise of a vigilante hunting down criminals while multiple onlookers either aid, report, or try to prevent him, and its simplicity allows us to be swept away in the ultra-satisfying violent karma of it all. It is a fast-paced, tightly-woven series of eight episodes that throws us into the misadventures and mysteries of copycat vigilantes, an elusive organization, and a cat-and-mouse chase, all delivering mesmerizing action sequences to revel in. Each clue leads to the next in a cohesive and gratifying manner, finding delicious violence in simplicity.

Vigilante is the perfect series for those who enjoy watching justice finding its own path outside the law on the screen, especially with the compelling Ji-yong at the forefront. His intimate investment in doling out these punishments due to his past muddies the waters of these questions, especially with Joo-hyuk’s polarizing performance, as he sometimes wavers between crossing moral lines while his conviction never falters. Yet as the show dives into the idea of whether the justice system is enough, it is never burdened by the weight of the subject, maintaining a purposeful stride and unwavering dedication to aggression. Tonally, it successfully balances between experimental commentary and decisive action, welcoming a diverse kind of audience — there is something for every kind of fan of vigilantism.

Vigilante is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

WATCH ON HULU

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Release Date

November 8, 2023

Cast

Nam Joo-hyuk
, Yoo Ji-tae
, Lee Jun-hyuk
, Lee Hae-young
, Yoon Kyung-ho
, Kim So-jin
, Ahn Seong-bong
, Lee Do-Goon