I know this review is a little late. The Korean Drama A Shop for Killers ended about a month ago but I REALLY needed to talk about this drama. I figured WHY NOT DO A REVIEW FOR THIS DRAMA!? Who cares that it is a month late 😂 I think a lot of people loved this drama and I know I had a few people ask if I was going to write a review for this kdrama. NOW YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER!
Now as per usual with any review I write, I will not be including any spoilers in this review.
A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF A SHOP FOR KILLERS - Jian gets a call that her uncle who raised her committed suicide. Even though her uncle raised her, he remained mysterious and she didn't know him very well. When she goes back to take care of everything for his death, Jian is thrown into a world of assassins. As she navigates this new world, learning things about her uncle, she realizes that her uncle has been training and preparing her for this her entire life.
To NO ONE'S surprise, I LOVED THIS DRAMA! I mean the cast alone piqued my interest and then the synopsis, trailers and posters drew me in more. I then watched the drama and there was so much to love with this drama. I loved how this drama was structured where you learn about things as Jian does but also you have a second story where you learn background about characters. I loved that you could not predict what would happen in the drama. You, as an audience member, became attached to these characters which was fun because most of the characters are assassins. It was fun being pulled into this world.
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS DRAMA
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY - That first scene BLEW ME AWAY! I remember watching that first scene and thinking "OK - this is what you are bringing to the table". That first scene hooked me right away. Every fight scene was just beautifully shot. This production spared no expense when shooting these action scenes. I mean this production used every type of camera they could use to shoot this drama and it paid off. It did help that the house where Jian grew up in was in this wide-open field. A lot of the scenes that showed off the cinematography used this beautiful landscape as the back drop and showed it off.
THE STORY - The first scene in the drama hooked you and made you want to know more. The first scenes just dropped you right in the middle of the action and you immediately wonder why this girl is getting shot at and having to jump across her living room. The drama then proceeds to do a time jump backwards and gives you the background story and how the first scene came about. I cried so much with some of flashbacks and backstories. I cry easily but it also shows that people can connect with these characters and the backstories gave these characters more depth. I loved watching all of the character's stories play out and see how everything was connected.
THE ACTING - I mean do I need to say it? THE ACTING WAS PHENOMENAL! We knew we were going to get good acting in this drama due to the cast. Even the child actress who played Jian was great. The bad guys were scary and so creepy - it was off putting. Lee Dong Wook and Kim Hye Joon had great chemistry as Uncle and Niece, trying to figure out their relationship. The Uncle trying to protect her at the same time. Everyone was just such the perfect fit for their characters. I loved the supporting cast just as much as the leads.
THE FOUND FAMILY - Since I mentioned the supporting cast, I need to talk about the found family in this drama. I love that you got different examples of found family as well. You had Jung Jin Man's team of assassins who he did missions with overseas. You had the found family with Jin man and his niece. You had the found family that Ji Ahn made with the assassins that came to help her later on. You even had the found family that Jin man made by rescuing these people like Min Hye. I love that you got a bunch of examples of found family in this drama. I might be a little bias because I love this trope SO MUCH!
THE ACTION - I sort of mentioned this already when I discussed the cinematography but the action needs to be talked about. That first scene just showed us what we were in for and I was SO HAPPY! The actions scenes were exciting. They were beautifully shot and choregraphed. I think they added another level of excellence to this drama. Now just Trigger Warning. due to the action scenes and how unhinged the bad guy was, this drama can get gory and violent. So, if that is not your thing, do not watch this drama. I mean I always love a good close quarter combat scenario and this drama had lots of those.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
SOME SCENES WERE SO DARK - There were scenes in this drama that were shot at night. I could not see anyone in the scene even if it was dark outside and inside my apartment. I don't know what happened with the lighting when this drama shot night scenes. Some scenes that were shot at night, I could not make out the actors who were in the scene.
NEEDS A SEASON 2 - This drama DEFINITELY needs a season 2. There are so many things that were not shown or talked about by the end of this drama. It also sort of ends on a cliffhanger. It isn't one of those cliffhangers where it just cuts or anything but the scene happens and then you are like ok that ended BUT I NEED ANSWERS! So, if you are looking for a drama with no need for season2, this drama is not for you.
THAT IS MY REVIEW OF A SHOP FOR KILLERS!
A Shop for Killers - 9.5/10 (HULU)
Ultimately, I gave this drama a score of 9.5/10 on the MDL scale. It was NEARLY perfect drama for me. I know a lot of people who watched this drama loved it as much as I did. If you are looking for a drama with lots of action but also is touching due to found family, I would put this one on your Plan to Watch list.
Did you watch A Shop for Killers?
What did you think of the drama?
Is it on your list to watch?
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