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The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.
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The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
Action · Crime · Thriller · 2019
After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in place—whoever finds K first will decide his fate—the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.
Movie details
The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil
“Don't let the devil win.”
2019 Action · Crime · Thriller 1h 50m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
7.0 / 10
32.5K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
97 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
65 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
7.9 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
After barely surviving a brutal attack by a sadistic serial killer, crime boss Jang Dong-su is left humiliated. Determined to catch the killer known as K, he forms an uneasy alliance with Jung Tae-seok, a relentless and incorruptible detective who often disrupts his illegal business. However, while Jang Dong-su wants K dead, Jung Tae-suk is determined to bring him to justice. With a deal in place—whoever finds K first will decide his fate—the hunt begins, blurring the lines between crime and law.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil?
For the defence
The Big-Idea Head
“You watch with your brain, not your gut.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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In Too Deep
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Lee Won-tae
Written by
Lee Won-tae
Don Lee
Jang Dong-su
Kim Moo-yul
Jung Tae-suk
Kim Sung-kyu
Kang Gyeong-ho
Heo Dong-won
Choi Moon-sik
Yoo Jae-myung
Heo Sang-do
Lee Seo-hwan
Choi Jeong-gyu
Oh Hee-jun
Kim Dong-chul
Court is in session
Put The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Speed as an alibi.”
The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.