Back to trending
Public Enemy Returns

Public Enemy Returns

Action · Comedy · Crime · 2008

Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years and is at it again against a mob boss who recruits young kids to do his dirty work.

Movie details

Public Enemy Returns

“Only the strong survives.”

2008 Action · Comedy · Crime 2h 7m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.3 / 10

540 votes

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years and is at it again against a mob boss who recruits young kids to do his dirty work.

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 Public Enemy Returns?

The 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.

Going by the Book

Going by the Book

Comedy · 2007

The chief of Sampo City Police Office, Seung-u, organizes a simulation of a bank robbery, but a by-the-book cop gets too caught up in the role playing in which the simulation doesn't go the way he had anticipated.

Midnight Runners

Midnight Runners

Comedy · 2017

Two apathetic police academy recruits who become best buddies through the tough training together witness a woman being abducted right before their very eyes. As they were taught in the academy, they quickly report the incident to the police, but the police are in no hurry to jump on the case. So the duo decide to take the matter into their own hands and rescue the woman.

Killer Bean Forever

Killer Bean Forever

Animation · 2008

When things go bad in Beantown, top assassin Killer Bean is called to clean-up the mess. Detective Cromwell finds himself in the middle between Killer Bean and mob boss Cappuccino.

Cold Eyes

Cold Eyes

Crime · 2013

Ha Yoon-ju becomes the newest member of a unit within the Korean Police Forces Special Crime Department that specializes in surveillance activities on high-profile criminals. She teams up with Hwang Sang-jun, the veteran leader of the unit, and tries to track down James who is the cold-hearted leader of an armed criminal organization.

Hostile Takeover

Hostile Takeover

Action · 2025

Follows Pete, a professional hitman, as he faces a group of assassins after the boss of a crime syndicate suspects disloyalty due to his attendance at Workaholics Anonymous meetings.

Ordinary People

Ordinary People

Action · 2018

A gym teacher and his female student look for her missing friend. But as they investigate, they find that her disappearance is a part of a larger conspiracy.

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

Action · 1974

Down-on-their-luck racers Larry and Deke steal from a supermarket manager to buy a car that will help them advance their racing chances. Their escape does not go as planned when Larry's one-night stand, Mary, tags along for the ride.

Transporter 3

Transporter 3

Action · 2008

Frank Martin puts the driving gloves on to deliver Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he has to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina's safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.

Gotcha!

Gotcha!

Action · 1985

A student on a trip to France is tricked into smuggling secrets across the Iron Curtain by a sexy spy.

Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow

Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow

Mystery · 2011

In 1782, King Jeong-jo of Joseon asks detective K to investigate a series of murders related to a case of corruption within the government.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Kang Woo-suk

Written by

Jang Jin

Sul Kyung-gu

Sul Kyung-gu

Kang Chul-joong

Jung Jae-young

Jung Jae-young

Lee Won-sool

Kang Shin-il

Kang Shin-il

Eom Chung-il

Kim Nam-gil

Kim Nam-gil

Moon-soo

Moon Sung-keun

Moon Sung-keun

Tae-san

Lee Moon-sik

Lee Moon-sik

Lee Ahn-soo

Yoo Hai-jin

Yoo Hai-jin

Yong-man

Court is in session

Put Public Enemy Returns on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.