This Korean reimagination of the much popular Spanish original is more complex and convoluted. It is extremely intriguing and adds its own twists and turns to the basic story line. This is what a remake should be. The makers have adapted the series well into the Korean cultural and political scenario.
The heist happens in an imaginary United Korea’s Joint Economic Area. The stakes are higher here, since the hostage crisis involves two previously independent countries. The ideas of discrimination and racism underlies the narrative as the now united country is still divided by the politics of being in the North or the South or neither. In a pivotal scene, the hostages are divided into three groups; those who belong to the South, the North or neither. The characters are pitted against each other by the same notion which increases the tension.
The writers Ryu Yong-jae, Kim Hwan-chae and Choe Sung-jun have made some significant changes in setting, characterization and scenes which work to the advantage of the series. The story is narrated by Tokyo (played by Jeon Jong-seo) as in the Spanish original but here she is not unlikable, impulsive, rash or arrogant. The Professor is not nervous or eccentric. His plan is even more thought out and likely to succeed. The characters have their idiosyncrasies which they display in their introductory scenes.
The narrative style is back and forth as in the original. Cinematography is simply brilliant and is sometimes even better than the original. The actors are exceptional. Yoo Ji-tae plays the Professor with absolute conviction. He adds his own nuances and simply does not imitate his Spanish counterpart. He looks and acts like a real leader and he is confident. He has a subtle smirk on his face every time something goes his way.
Park Hae-soo as Berlin is good. You will either like or dislike him. He does a lot in bringing Berlin to life with perfection. Kim Ji-hoon as Denver and Lee Joo-bin as Misun are brilliant. Park Myung-hoon as the self-centred director of the Mint deserves special mention. The actor is so good that you hate him every time he appears on screen. Other actors have also done a good job but hopefully we will see more of them in the upcoming episodes.
The show is also not without problems. But they can be ignored. The pacing seemed a little off. Even after fifty hours into the heist, actors does not look exhausted and the make up on their faces is intact. Some aspects like the character Anne, who displays not even a tiny bit of fear (now don’t get me wrong. I am talking about the character, not the actor) and the scene involving the Professor and the drunk-acting cute-officer/negotiator felt lame.
But the weakest aspect has to be the character of Tokyo. She seems fiery at times but her voice says something different. She doesn’t seem strong enough like in the original and she is not confident. As I said, she is a likeable character here, and that exactly is the problem. Both the makers and the actor seem to not know what to do with the character even though her backstory was solid. And we do not know why she is hell-bent on making the plan a success for the professor. It is too soon to say and we might find out in the upcoming episodes.
Overall, Money Heist Korea is an enjoyable ride. Those who watched the original must have reservations about this one but the show is really a watchable remake.
Arya is a curious soul and nerd who loves books and cinema. You can read her articles on Medium. You can also follow her on Instagram where she talks about her favourite books and movies.