I, the Executioner

Detective Seo Do-cheol is still chasing criminals day and night with his major crimes unit, and at home he's got another worry: his young son seems to be copying his violent ways at school. Then a masked killer starts murdering criminals he believes got off too lightly. The videos go viral, a YouTuber names him Haechi, and a good part of the public starts cheering him on as a vigilante.

To catch him, the team brings in Park Sun-woo, a rookie who idolises Do-cheol and can fight like few others. With the media and social networks fanning the flames, the case pushes the veteran to look hard at his own methods and at an awkward question: how far should a cop go to see justice done?

Ryoo Seung-wan confirmed this sequel a month after 'Veteran' opened in 2015, on its way to more than 13 million admissions in South Korea, but it took him almost a decade to make it. Hwang Jung-min is back as Do-cheol, and 'I, the Executioner' trades much of the first film's comedy for a darker, more sober cop thriller.

Ryoo, who also made 'The Berlin File' and 'The Battleship Island', co-wrote the script with Lee Won-jae and produced it with his wife, Kang Hye-jung. Oh Dal-su, Jang Yoon-ju and Kim Shi-hoo return, and the new face is Jung Hae-in, best known for series like 'Snowdrop'.

It premiered in Cannes' Midnight Screenings in May 2024, Ryoo's first time in the festival's official selection, and opened in South Korea that September, selling more than seven million tickets. It also played Toronto, Fantastic Fest and Sitges. Critics have been positive, with an average of 7.4 out of 10 across the 13 outlets collected on Movienco.

• Action
• Crime
• Comedy