Beomjoidosi / The Outlaws (2017) - Gritty gangster gem - 9/10 (10/08/19)

Beomjoidosi, internationally known as The Outlaws, is a dynamic, gritty and tense action thriller partially based upon real events that occured a decade before its release. The movie follows a turf war between two Chinese-Korean gangs and a mysterious and pitiless newcomer from China that takes place in a district of South Korea's capital Seoul. A tough, resilient and fearless police officer puts together a reliable team to end the brutal turf war and avoid collateral damage as politicians and press put more and more pressure on the police.

The movie convinces with captivating characters such as rough police officer Ma Seok-do who is played by one of Korea's greatest contemporary actors Ma Dong-seok who also performed in sports comedy drama Champions, political drama The Mayor and iconic action horror movie Train to Busan. The conflict between the three gangs is easy to follow despite the numerous characters involved which underlines the fluid storytelling and concise plot. The locations are authentic and show the dangerous, dark and ugly sides of an otherwise beautiful city. The numerous action scenes consisting of chases, hand-to-hand combats and shootings add great pace to the film. The captivating plot grabs the viewers right from the start and never slows down until the very end which makes for one of the most entertaining gangster movies in recent memory.

To keep it short, The Outlaws is one of the greatest gangster movies of the new millennium and convinces with gritty action scenes, intriguing characters, authentic locations and detailed plot. Any genre fan should watch this movie that deserves more international acclaim. Note that even though the movie has a proper conclusion, a sequel is underway and due to be released next year as we speak.