Popular reviews

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  Review by mchasin ★★★

  This movie won't change anyone's life, but Ma Dong-seok's arms in this movie could change the world.

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  Review by Michael James ★★★½ 2

  The stylish crime action comedy based on true events has a decent plot line with enjoyable comedy, actions and cat n mouse exchanges, however it’s ever cool swagger boss Ma Don-Seok who steals and steers the show in an entertaining n engaging fashion. The role was tailor made for him and he simply nails it. The finale one on one action sequence was kickass. A fun enjoyable watch.

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  Review by Invincible Asia ★★★★ 4

  Ma Dong-seok who regulary turns sidecharacters into the MVP in his films gets his biggest lead role yet, yes, that K-drama stuff doesn't count, and boy does The Outlaws both play to his strengths and make for a fun and thrilling time.

  The Outlaws is reportedly based on, or rather "inspired by", a real life gang war that violently escalated with a group of coppers right in the middle.
  Lucky for said coppers, in the film at least, they're being led by Dong-seok and he's there for all the thug face-slapping and bear-hugs one could wish for.
  There's a lot of fun to be had with this one and the chemistry among the boys is great, but in classic SK…

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  Review by More_Badass ★★★★ 1

  His brick-wall build filling the frame, parting the sea of onlookers with ease, subduing a knife-swinging troublemaker with a single beefy arm, dealing with this minor nuisance while talking on his phone the entire time.

  I’ll die on the hill that Ma Dong-seok making his entrance in The Outlaws is the most perfectly so-fucking-cool introduction since Chow Yun-Fat lit his cigarette with a fiery c-note. Just like that scene, the swagger is effortless and the swagger is such a singular embodiment of what makes the man so appealing.

  I had forgotten how much stabbing there was in this.

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  Review by Anurag Kashyap 5

  On Amazon prime

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  Review by Nakul ★★★

  Nothing new to offer in terms of plot, even tho it's based on a true story. But this is a fun & engaging action thriller, elevated by Ma Don-Seok's scene stealing presence.

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  Review by Cinema_Strikes ★★★★ 9

  Ma Dong-Seok open handed slapping men into unconsciousness and making them place their balls in his vise-like grip never gets old. His beefy arms are the ultimate special effect. 

  This is some real old-fashioned ‘70s style cops vs gangsters bullshit and it’s super fun, enhanced by the lack of guns leading to SO MANY stabbings and beatings, and a truly excellent final slobberknocker. What a blast. Looking forward to checking out the follow-up.

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  Review by Arjun Rajput ★★★½ 2

  This was a hell of a lot of fun! Way more entertaining than I'd expected. Can't wait to see Bhai and gang fuck this up tomorrow with Radhe ❤️ I can see how one could imagine him in this role cos the lead here could literally be called the Korean Salman Khan for his physicality and swag but then, Bhai can't act, and Ma Dong-seok is quite simply the coolest mf out there!

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  Review by Thornhill ★★★½

  Sehr unterhaltsame Actionkomödie mit immer wieder eingestreuten dramatischen Spitzen. Verblüffend fand ich, dass bei aller gezeigter Gewalt, den ganzen Film über kein einziger Schuss aus einer Feuerwaffe abgegeben wird. Don Lee`s unkonventioneller Cop taugt mir maximal zur Serienfigur und ich freue mich auf die jetzt langsam eintrudelnden Nachfolgefilme.

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  Review by Justin Decloux ★★★½

  How is Ma Dong-seok so damn charismatic? The man is built like an immovable tank, which would lead one to believe that he'd be a stiff performer, which he... kind of is? But he flexes one of his beefy biceps, and a smile springs to my face!

  THE OUTLAWS is yet another South Korean Crime drama (Their main cultural export?) This time it's about a group of cops led by Ma Dong-seok on a mission to bust some psychos taking over the Chinatown neighbourhood. There's an uneasy undercurrent of xenophobia, it trades in "Isn't it funny that the cops beat suspects?", and there's way too much time following the villains...

  But Ma Dong-seok. Every time that guy's on-screen it's a delight.

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  Review by Ⓢⓒⓘ-Ⓕⓘ Ⓦⓐⓢⓐⓑⓘ🍥 ★★★½ 7

  The Beast Cop cleans up Korean Chinatown

  Based on the 2007 turf war Heuksapa Incident that involved a Chinese gang taking over Seoul's gritty Chinatown Guro District. Fortunately it's not shackled too hard to the original events, plus most will just wanna see Ma Dong-seok smacking the shit outta gangsters.
  After seeing the bonkers sequel, I wanted to revisit the original and due to being a true story, it's definitely way more restrained, but has a lot of fun with the material.
  Still effortlessly holds up and kept me entertained all the way; seeing the most vicious criminals receiving well deserved smack downs. Honestly wanted Ma to break more limbs (the gangsters did way worse), but again; restrained.

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  Review by Geoffrey Broomer ★★★½ 3

  The Heuksapa Incident - a mid-00s gang war involving ethnic Koreans from China muscling in on turf in Seoul - becomes a bludgeoning starring vehicle for Ma Dong-seok. The large character actor, most recognizable to western audiences for his Train to Busan supporting work, in recent years has cultivating a Bud Spencer slaphappy screen persona. He's jovial but easily irritated, and swats nuisances aside with clubbing blows. Here Dong-seok is in charge of the small police squad at the center of the powder keg - while Yoon Kye-sang (formerly of the K-pop group g.o.d) turns in a chilling performance as the new boss in town. Rather than true crime, the incident feels heavily dramatized with names altered, and plotting beats…