DIRTY MONEY (더러운 돈에 손대지 마라) (AMAZON PRIME) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: Two detectives struggling with their own needs, succumb to temptation when handling a large amount of cash.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Dirty Money is a gritty cop movie filled with shady people with their own agenda. By shady, it means a pair of corrupted cops, Myung-deuk (Jung Woo) and Dong-hyuk (Kim Dae-myung) as they frequently take bribes from crime bosses. Myung-deuk has a sick daughter in urgent need of surgery, his partner Dong-hyuk is mired in gambling debt though not exactly good excuses to do so.

The duo soon learned that the Chinese mafia is smuggling some “dirty money” out of the country and with a third accomplice, they decide to pull a heist. Unfortunately, the robbery went awry and ended in a shootout killing all the Chinese and an undercover cop. Though they manage to lay their hands on the loot in the end, their own unit is deployed to investigate the shootout causing more complications for the duo.

Dirty Money is a riveting crime drama that speaks of morality and greed. Both men has no rights to commit a felony despite one needing the money to save his daughter. The story will be familiar to those who love tales of corrupt cops. One mistake leads to another and leads to another. The bodies piled up along the way and suspicious begins to boil within the once two best friends. Eventually one must sacrifice to save the other.

However director and co-writer Kim Min-so is not satisfied in simply telling the story of two corrupted cops and a bunch of ruthless Chinese mafia who are out to retrieve the lost loot. A tireless detective and ex-colleague of Myung-deuk, Seung-chan (Park Byung-eun) is introduced midway to spice up the proceedings. Honestly, Seung-chan is not a really well-placed character that is critical to the narrative. In fact, the twist in his character only adds some unnecessary weak dramatic effect.

Still, this cops and gangsters movie is unquestionable entertaining despite the lack of action. There’s lots of running, chases, plenty of shouting and fleeting moments of violence. While Jung Woo and Kim Dae-myung are not familiar faces especially to those who are not into Korean television dramas, the duo is at the top of their game playing sceptical cops with devious morals. Not a masterpiece for sure but clearly entertaining.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee