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CherryBunny
Cherry's Corner ________…………©
Authentic Portrayal Of Asperger's
As someone who who has been diagnosed with Asperger's herself and as a mother of a son who is diagnosed the same I felt compelled to write a review for this drama. Tang Jung Sang is simply amazing and very authentic in the part of Gu Ru. I cannot stress that enough. Some people might try to disagree with me, but you have to understand, we all have different traits that manifest. Though I, as a female Aspie am totally different than Gu Ru, I still could relate to many traits that the character had and how they were acted out. My son is a lot more similar, though not as extreme, but he also has had professional therapy and has been raised by a mother who is also an Aspie. In the drama, it is shown that Gu Ru's father was the one who worked with him throughout his life, so of course he would still have many issues, though his father did such a a wonderful job just by accepting him and loving him for he is and teaching him. Honestly, the simple teachings his father gave to him were so very similar to how I have taught my son. His father was not autistic but still. He just knew how to get through to Gu Ru in such a patient, loving way. I mean, it is such a simple approach, how he shown doing things, but it is always the *right* way. That is exactly how parents of autistic children should communicate. I saw so many traits, however, that my son had when younger, before the years of therapy began. (Not ABA. I just want to make that clear before anyone jumps on me. I am talking social skills.) For instance, as a child, my son, like Gu Ru, would talk robotically and stim much more when overwhelmed. Also, he still walks very stiffly and won't make eye contact at all.Another thing that I must point out is very authentic is his ability to memorize what he sees. In my case, I cannot in the way he does, but I can memorize an accent if I hear it once and determine where the person speaking is from. My son can memorize languages and mathmatical concepts. Again, our traits, while similar, can manifest differently.
A number of shows and dramas have been coming out lately that make autism the focal point. I haven't seen all of them, but Move To Heaven nails it. I can also vouch because even though I have explained my and my son's differences to Gu Ru, I know quite a few just like him. In fact, while watching, it is easy to think Tang Jung Sang actually has Asperger's, he is that good at acting it out.
Anyway, on to the rest.
The story is heartwrenching in so many ways, but deeply moving. The main focus is actually the relationship between Gu Ru and his long lost uncle. His uncle appears like a selfish, uncaring slob, but as the story progresses, we get to understand him more and see his heart soften for his nephew. As usual, Lee Je Hoon is excellent. He is such a great actor. He can show a range of emotions and also, just like in Taxi Driver, he kicks butt in fighting scenes.
I give this drama a 9 because it is wonderful, beautiful and doesn't screw up showing autism. I would have given it a 10 but I was kind of hoping for a certain plot twist and it didn't happen. Lol (What did happen was still good, I just really wanted the other thing. Haha!) Also, it left off with something like...not a cliffhanger but something you are left waiting to see what and if anything happens there. It was totally on purpose as an opening for a possible second season on Netflix, I just hate it when they do that when nothing is confirmed. Don't leave peeps hanging! I do hope there is a Season 2. I will watch if there is.
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As I mentioned above, the story itself isn't original and it actually doesn't follow the original My Sassy Girl that closely. In the first couple of episodes, you can recognize a couple of scenes and situations, and the main character's friends have a similar profession/hobby, but that's about it. There are also quite a few modern Korean culture and society refrences used, which had me chuckling. All in all I do recommend this drama, despite it being so similar to others. It's still a fun watch.
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The very first episode is at best, laughable, but at worst, unbelievably arrogant of the writers. We are supposed to buy that rich Korean conglomerates have that much influence and power outside of their country, in other continents and can even order around the Catholic Church and a police force in a European country?! Even Samsung doesn't have that much power! :p I was ROFL! However, I was mildly disturbed as I got to thinking. Does the average Korean who has never travelled outside of Korea really believe stuff like that? Something to ponder.
The rest of the drama doesn't get much better. It is from the same writers of Yong Pal, so even though not the train wreck that drama was, it is obvious that they were both born from the same simple and way too overconfident minds. As the story progresses, you can quickly discern the unbalanced character development. Our hero, Je Ha, should be a character with much depth and personality. Unfortunately, the writers apparently did not create him for that purpose at all. The character's sole purpose was to beat people up and to have a little love story with the main female. Poor Ji Chang Wook was totally wasted here. The whole first half of the drama, he barely has any dialogue. All he does is kick ass, kick some more ass, bleed and show his abs. The main female Anna is written so typically that she could have been plucked from any cliched K drama and just inserted into this one. She is sweet, innocent and always in distress. In fact, out of all the characters in this drama, only two show any interesting personalities, depth and growth. Those are Choi Yoo Jin and her brother. Those two characters were the only highly developed ones and I was mesmorized by both whenever they were on the screen. How much better would this drama had been had it focused solely on the schemes and manipulations of those two, instead of adding all that other crap to the mix. >_< Instead, the ending result was nothing but a big mess with an ending left with many loose ends and unexplained things.
I can't recommend this drama to anyone. Well, I take that back. I do recommend episode four. Episode four alone, though. Teehee.
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In this version, there are three princes that make appearances. Crown Prince, 4th Prince and 14th Prince. The Crown Prince is seen as the villian for most of the movie and is determined to capture and kill Rue Xi for some reason, though I never could understand just what the motive was there. 4th Prince is a mash up of the 4th and 8th Princes in the original. Rue Xi is living with him, but again, this is never explained why, as there was no sister in this version. She was basically just living there, as a princess, though they were not married or related. Made no sense. 14th Prince is another mashup, this time of 13th and 14th Princes. He's the playmate and drinking buddy.
So, story wise, thoufh it does not follow the actual story like it claims, and though some of the reasoning and motives of certains aspects were not explained or did not make much sense, it was still pretty good on its own. However, because of the whole adaption thing and being that I am a fan of Scarlet Heart, I could not ignore the differences. Plus, there is a plot twist near the end that totally made me go WTF.
In conclusion, if you are looking for another version of Scarlet Heart because you love the story, you will be very disappointed with this version. On the other hand, if you have not seen Scarlet Heart and don't know the original story, you will probably be able to enjoy it.
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Secret Campus was actually pretty realistic. It had the guts to tackle real, actual issues that teens face on a daily basis. I could relate to a lot of the issues because when I was their age, I went through many of the same things. Most school dramas are watered down and focus more on romance and drama. While Secret Campus did water down some of the more serious issues, the fact is, it actually *did* confront them, watered down or not. Besides telling the story of a group of high school friends and the pressures of getting good grades, it also dealt with bullying, grief, suicide and homosexuality. Each character had a story to tell, a problem to face and an outcome to take responsibility for. While some of the issues were less serious (such as the crushes on the teachers), it was showing that every issue was important to the person who was going through it.
The teen actors did an ok job playing the characters. Most never went on to do much else, but two did end up being mega stars. Park Bo Young was absolutely adorable here, though she was probably the weakest acting of the bunch. Keep in mind that she was very young and that it was her debut drama, so that's to be expected. Lee Min Ho's charisma makes him stand out, showing that even in the earliest days of his career, he had that special something. Even with the 2000's hairstyle and some acne, he was easily the most handsome of the guys. Seol Sung Min was really good and it's such a shame that he hasn't done anything since 2007. I was really impressed with his acting and would like to see him now. The same goes for Seung Hyun, who played the deceased Seung Jae in flashbacks. Unfortunately, he too hasn't done much else since.
I would definitely recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for a realistic Korean school drama. Just make sure you can deal with the outdated hairstyles! Also, one thing of note that really made it more realistic. All the teens actually look like teens in this. Real teens, too. There are no plastic faces and perfectly applied make up. Like I said above, you can even see Lee Min Ho's acne. I find this a major plus for the drama, but others might not.
All in all, I rated this drama 8/10.
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My biggest problem with this drama started with the introduction of the charactets of Kong Lin Jie and Xaio Yu. From that point on, the story changed from a history of how the brothers established a movie company from nothing into a messy love triangle between Gu Yan Mei (the character bassed on Run Run Shaw), his fictional life long rival Lin Jie, and his simpering yet manipulative second love Xaio Yu. I had a huge dislike of Xaio Yu. None of it comes from the fact that because of the Hallayu ban in China, Ku Hye Sun was replaced with a Chinese actress. I would have intensely disliked the character no matter who played her. She was written awfully and I could not fathom why those two male characters would love her so much. I could go on and on about that, but I won't. I will just leave it at the character being awful and unlikable.
One other problem I had with it is the editing. I don't really even mean the obvious CGI edited in actress switch to scenes, either. I mean the editing of the whole drama in general. It really gets choppy in the final third. Characters are suddenly written out, things happen without explanation, new characters show up without back story. The characters you came to be attached to in the beginning are no longer there. It is hard to invest in the new characters. To top it all off, the last few episodes feel really weird. I won't spoil it, but I will say that new characters show up and things happen that do not make sense. It is only for overdramatic purposes.
Finally, my last complaint is that characters became inconsistent. Their personalities, motives and behaviors changed in order to force dramatic events in the plot. I hate it when drama writers do this! It is a major peeve of mine.
In the end, I can say again that The Legendary Tycoon started off really well and had a lot of potential but it lost itself along the way and became a chore to complete.
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The acting was superb. Every actor, from the main leads to the supporting characters were incredible. I am especially impressed by Kim Young Kwang's performance. I have always liked him, but here he shines. His character is very complex and right from the beginning he steals the spotlight from the other leads with his charisma and presence. My favorite scenes of him are the close ups of the face when he laughs, and in his eyes, you can see that the character is somewhat insane. Definitely one of, if not the best, lead male performances I have seen this year.
I also want to remark about two of the other lead actors. Kim Seul Gi was also already a well liked actress for me, but she really impressed me here. As someone who suffers from social anxiety disorder myself ( though not nearly as extreme as her character here), I thought she was very authentic, right down to the spot on panic attacks. This was the most honest portrayl of it I have seen in dramas.
Also Key. Him being an idol, I was not expecting much in the way of acting chops from this young man. Well, he proved me wrong, alright. He most certainly is one to watch for in future projects.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a good action/suspense drama, this one is the one for you. In my opinion, it is darn near perfect. Check it out. 10/10
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Let me just start off by saying that I had been waiting for this drama to air since late last year, when it was first announced. When the first of January arrived, I was excited, but then my soul was crushed when I found out that it was to be pre-produced and that while the shooting began in early January, the actual drama would not air until August. I thought I was going to die! >_<
Finally, August 29th arrived, and with it, the airing of the very first episode. I was immediately captivated and hooked. The original Scarlet Heart is one of my favorite dramas, so I was really looking forward to the Korean adaption. I was *not* disappointed at all. I stayed hooked and obsessed with this drama the entire way through.
Story:
This was an adaption, so even I was a little unsure how faithful to the original it would be. There were a couple of times I was sincerely worried that it was going to veer off course, but my fears there were proven to be groundless. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Goreyo truly impressed me with how faithful it stayed to the original story while adapting it to real, actual Goreyo history. There were a couple of things it did leave out that did disappointment me, however. The relationship between 4th Prince and 13th Prince was not shown as often as in the original, at least in the earlier episodes. It made up for it in the latter episodes, though, plus, having only 20 episodes, extra things being cut down is understandable. The only other missing piece for me is very minor, but still felt like an endearing part was left out. In the original, 4th Prince had a habit of teasing the female lead by thumping her on her forhead. Here in Moon Lovers, that only occurs once, and it is a light smack on the head instead. I missed the thumps very much! :(
Cast:
I sincerely think that the whole cast was excellent. Especially Lee Joon Gi as 4th Prince Wang So. This man is my bias, it is true, but here in this role, it is easy to understand why. He is, quite blunty, amazing in this. He dominates every scene he is in. His emotions are raw and heartwrenching and I daresay he deserves a best actor award this year for this.
IU as Hae Soo was very good, as well. During the airing, a lot of netizens were putting her down and criticizing her acting, but I think she was great. Honestly, the Korean version of this character was written differently than the Chinese version. She was not nearly as strong or independant, so that is a reason in the writing, not IU's acting. I liked her here.
Kang Ha Neul as 8th Prince Wang Wook was truly impressive. I have always liked him, but he really blew me away here with his portrayal of hopeless romantic turned manipulative bastard. He really shines here, especially as he evolved into the antagonist.
Baekhyun as 10th Prince deserves a mention here too. Despite also getting a lot of grief from netizens, I was truly impressed with him and how he acted here. I wonder how many of those that shamed him had ever even seen the original Scarlet Heart or even knew what sort of character 10th Prince was, because Baekhyun was absolutely perfect! The character of 10th Prince is, frankly speaking, childish and not very smart. He is overly enthusiastic and quick to respond, but slow to 'get' things. Baekhyun portrayed this perfectly and it was not a lack of talent at all, in my opinion, but a truely legitimate rendition of the character. I say this, by the way, as someone who does not follow K Pop at all and whose only knowledge of EXO is what my friends post on the feeds here and the song that was used in this drama.
Hong Jong Hyun as 3rd Prince impressed me as well. I knew who he was before, had seen him around, but he never really stood out to me before this. He was wonderfully manipulative and evil here, plus he shows a wonderful range of conflicting emotions as his character evolves. He makes a great bad boy and looks *very* sexy in guyliner.
Music:
The music was great. I fell in love with every OST that was released. Even though it was, essentially, a historical drama, most of the non instrumental songs were modern K Pop. However, I found it a lovely paradox that fit very well, given that the heroine is a time traveller from our modern times. As the story goes on, she adapts so well to her new home in that time period that it is almost possible to forget that she doesn't really belong there. The music that plays during the drama feels like a reminder of this fact. It is like a link from the Goreyo period to modern times.
In the end, I enjoyed this drama more than any other drama this year, and more than all other dramas I have seen thus far. There are some things that I feel did not quite match up to the original, but then there are also aspects I felt were better. After thinking on it a good while, I have decided that I liked this Korean version even more than the Chinese version. For me personally, I feel I was more emotionally invested and it just seemed to hit me harder. It has earned the #1 spot on My Favorites list. It has made me feel a range of emotions, starting even before it ever aired. It has both enthralled and enchanted me. It also broke my heart. Very few dramas have ever actually made my heart flutter or truly brought me tears. Moon Lovers was one that accomplished that. Now that it is all over, I am left in a daze, not knowing what to do next, just as I was after completing the first Scarlet Heart. I do not often rewatch dramas, especially the very emotional ones, but I feel like this one will end up being an exception. It is hard to say goodbye to it and let go. For me, Moon Lovers is a masterpiece.
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Her story is gutwrenchingly tragic and I was disturbed more about her life after the uprising than the uprising itself. There are at least three semi-graphic rape scenes and a horrible account of more sexual assault done to her by a variety of people. None of this was mentioned in the synopsis at all, so I had no idea that it would be in the movie at all. I do not recommend this movie for the fainthearted, the easily offended, or pretty much anyone but the most stoic viewer. Definitely not for younger viewers at all. I am an adult, and one who is not that easily disturbed and I still found this movie disturbing. That being said, I can still see why this movie won so many awards. It is deeply serious and brutally shows the effects of May 18th. It also shows the darker side of human nature.
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This drama is, in one word, epic! When you first start watching, you think you know what the overall plot is going to be, but along the way, it evolves into something much bigger and more fateful. I really loved the historic period portrayed here, the Joseon of the past caught up in a bitter feud with the Joseon of the future. While watching this drama, I had the sense that it was exactly this period in time which marked the turning point for events that came decades later, and on up into the 20th century. While the story itself was fictional, the time period in which it occurs and all the struggles going on about the Enlightenment, were real and really played out.
The cast was absolutely supurb! Lee Jun Ki was phenomenal in his role as a son bent on revenge for his father's murder, and was simply endearing in later episodes as he focuses his energy on protecting the people and the woman he loves. The fight scenes were awesome, and as usual, LJK executes his action scenes flawlessly.
The main villian was wonderfully written. I especially liked the character development with him. As the story progresses, you are able to see why he has made the choices he has, and even start to empathize with him a little, even though you are still cheering for Lee Jun Ki to enact his revenge.
The main female lead was excellent, imo. So many people have commented how annoying she was, how full of faults, but I disagree. I thought she did a wonderful job playing her role. She is supposed to be a kind, loyal and forward thinking young woman, and she was. I think she had great chemistry with Lee Jun Ki and as the viewer, I could totally feel their emotions for one another. Thier relationship was especially moving, I thought, because Yoon Kang was forever faithful and extremely protective. I just really liked this couple a lot no matter what anyone says! :p
I was not as impressed by the second female lead so much. I thought she ws ok, but until the last couple of episodes, I thought her acting rather stiff and her character inconsistent. I did like her relationship with her father, though. I think those scenes were her best scenes.
I gave this drama a 10/10. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a historical action drama with romance. It's also a perfect revenge drama. Plus, if you're a fan of Lee Jun Ki, he absolutely shines here.
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This review may contain spoilers
I read the book a few months ago. I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the drama, too, but the reason I felt that I could not rate it above an 8.5 is because I was left scratching my head as to why they changed some of what they did to the story.First off, let's talk about Er Lang. In the book, he was pretty badass. Like, could turn into a dragon badass. Was manly and herouc. I adore Chris Wu, but why in the world did they opt to make the character into such a low level weakling? I was greatly disappointed in that. Even if the special effects of making him turn into dragon would have been too expensive, couldn't they have made him still be a strong, competant male lead? What is up with the wuss factor?
Second, I have no clue why they opted to have all the supernatural elements be known to the mortal characters. Like, Li Lan and Er Lang just tell everyone and are totally believed, not questioned and no one thinks they are crazy at all. I also can't understand why they made Li Lan's father a victim when that never happened in the book. I can get why they cut out him being an opium addict, but why make him go to the netherworld? In the book, it just her.
Next up, the main villian from the book is turned into a woman and turned into a very minor character. The main villian is turned into Tian Ching. In the book, he is an idiot and a pawn, though I must admit that he is written much more interesting here. I also hope to see more of the actor.
Then there is Isobel. In the book, she is not even a character, really. She is just someone Tian Bai had feelings for in Hong Kong. Here, they made her a jealous second female lead and a villian. In the book, she is hardly mentioned it all.
The last thing I am disappointed in is the absence of an imortant character, a villian female ghost and a huge part of the plotline at the end. It really made the story much more interesting and without her in the drama at all, it felt like a huge chunk was missing in the plot.
Despite my complaints, however, I did enjoy the drama overall. If you haven't read the book, none of these is likely to concern you or affect your opinion of the drama. The acting was top notch, the story solid (though made very formulatic and predicible, imo) and the visuals are awesome. Very creepy, with the music was hauting and chilling. I do reccommend it highly, despite my qualms with it. Perhaps if they had a bigger budget and could have added more episodes, the story could have remained more faithful to the original work.
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WTAF
Seriously. Wtaf, China? Is this the kind of story that is popular over there? The lead male is a freaking psychopath!! A bonafide abusive, obsessive, insane psychopath! Oh sure, he's hot as hell, but come on! How in the heck would ANY woman fall for him after what he puts her through?! Over and over again, at that? He literally beats her up, sticks a gun to her head when she tries to leave him AND makes her drink an abortive! Wtaf?!The lead female does stick up for herself sometines, at least and in the end, she shoots his ass. So there is that. Then again, she gets amnesia on top of amnesia on top of amnesia. Jeez! >_< I kean, the ONLY trope they didn't have was the crazy mother, but they were dead so. Then the ending. Wtf?! Makes no sense! Literally does not at all.
I do admot that I binged the last half all night because I had never seen a drama so.outright ridiculous and offensive. Btw, MDL, this drama needs a trigger warning. just, wow.
The only good things were that music was nice, the cinematics were well dpne and, despite their characters being insane, the actors were pretty. That is pretty much it.
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Now, let me make it clear that I do not enjoy melodramas. The constant turmoil and depressive situations of those kinds of dramas wear me out and turn me off. From most of the comments and reviews of Tree of Heaven, this was what I thought it was going to be. Something told me to watch it anyway, and I am so glad that I did. Make no mistake, though. There is conflict and it is a very emotional storyline. If you can't handle that sort of thing, if you want your drama a to always end up with sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, then you will probably not enjoy or appreciate this drama. If, like me, you enjoy well made, touching dramas, then you will not be disappointed if you give Tree of Heaven a try. Despite the conflicts and difficulties the main characters face, there are quite a few cute and sweet moments, and even one or two that might make you giggle. Those moments are why I cannot say that this is a straight melodrama.
This is about two people that have been lonely all their lives, that are brought together by the marriage of their parents. Both have gone through the pain of losing one of their parents, and so have a common bond. Despite her new oppa's autism and aloofness, Hana can immediately accept him without judgment, openly giving him her heart as his sister. Such love and acceptance touches Yoon Suh profoundly, and it is because of Hana that he is finally able to come out of his self-inflicted shell and begin to smile and laugh again. It is also the start of a deeper love for them both, one that is forbidden, for how can a brother and a sister love each other as lovers do? Being American, living in a society where, though such a thing might raise an eyebrow or two but is not unheard of or even illegal being as they are not blood related, I did have trouble fully understanding the taboo of the situation, at least at first. However, I have seen a couple of other dramas that touch briefly on this subject and so am aware that this is how it is in Korea and Japan, that once your parents marry, even if you are not blood related, by law and in society, it is seen as the same thing.
The cast, I think, was brilliant. Lee Wan as Yoon Suh did an amazing job first by portraying a young autistic man who had trouble dealing with new, powerful emotions, then later as a conflicted man caught between wanting to be beside the woman he loved and ultimately protecting her. Plus, he will absolutely melt your heart whenever he utters Hana's name. He does it so softly and with such tenderness.
I was especially impressed with Park Shin Hye's portrayal of Hana. I have liked her in the other dramas I have seen her in, especially You're Beautiful, but this was the first time I have seen her in a more serious, dramatic role. What makes it even more impressive was that she was very young when she acted in this. I think only sixteen. For being so young at the time, I think the casting was of her was brilliant. Even though her character was a couple of years older than her real age, I had no trouble seeing her as an 18-20 year old at all. Plus, her youth just made Hana's innocence and trust so natural.
In the end, if you decide to watch this drama, yes, you will get conflict and yes, it is very emotional. However, you will get a very moving, very beautiful love story, a love story more beautiful and haunting than most others that occur in dramas. It will stay in your mind and in your heart long after the final episode. I hope more people will give this drama a try and be touched as much as I was.
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The music was great, though I do not know why it kept being referred to as rock. It is not rock! :p It is very catchy pop. Nirvana's Nevermind album was featured and I think it was supposed to be an influence, but has absolutely nothing in common with Entertainer Band's music. That was probably a peeve of mine worth mentioning. :p
The acting was decent but nothing extremely special. Ji Sung, whom I think is an amazing actor btw, was great as usual, but he has played much more interesting characters in other dramas. I was very disappointed by Hyeri's acting in this. After her performance in Reply 1988, I had high hopes. I think she was extremely under par in this. Of course it didn't help that her character was written to be naive and rather foolish. I also thought that she had absolutely zero chemistry with Ji Sung. Not because of the RL age gap either, but because she just seemed so awkward and out of place alongside him.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a light rom com without all the stress and like good music, it's a good choice. (*^_^*)
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So why give the drama a 7/10 and not lower? Yeah, I know my opinion on the writing is harsh. What made this drama interesting and kept me watching was the superb acting by the cast. They were all wonderful. So wonderful in fact, that I can't even choose who stood out more. Every actor was exceptional.
I can recommend this for those looking for a good, gritty action drama with great acting. Just be prepared for the flaws in the plot.
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