Brief Story Line
Lee Han-ul (Yim Si-wan - Unlocked, Summer Strike TV series etc) was a well known assassin with nickname Mantis and worked for the largest organization called MK. After the events in Kill Boksoon, Mantis who just returned from holiday was surprised with the latest condition and not sure of what to do next. Upon meeting with Jae-yi (Park Gyu-young - Sweet Home TV series, Love + Sling TV series etc) who used to be assassin trainee with him during their time with MK and their other friends, Mantis decided to form a new group and took on small jobs.
Mantis also met with his old trainer during MK days, Dok-go (Jo Woo-jin - Harbin, Gangnam B Side TV series etc) who continued the old ways regulated by MK. Things became complicated when a wealthy investor called Benjamin (Choi Hyun-wook - Twinkling Watermelon TV series etc) started disrupting Mantis' group and also the huge ambition of Jae-yi who disliked the old regulations from MK.
So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
To be honest, I did not know that this movie had any connection with that 2023 stylish Kill Boksoon until I watched the early part which refer to the MK organization and the character's name was mentioned. It was actually what made me quite enjoyed the film, obviously with the pretty awesome fight scenes which to my surprise showed some good moves by the lead cast Yim Si-wan whom I never saw fought like this before.
Subsequent to that, the film focused more on the situation beyond MK's condition, the dynamics between Mantis, Jae-yi and their complex relationship with Dok-go. Although there were the occassional fights, but I somehow felt that the main story was just so-so and rather predictable. It was not too exciting and the chemistry between Mantis and Jae-yi seemed a bit flat. The finale fight though was quite worth the wait and the ending was pretty good to my opinion. Not sure if there was going to be a sequel for this (Heck I did not even know they were going to make a spin-off from the original), but they could certainly do it if they want too. It seemed to be quite popular as it made to the top charts in various countries.
For a movie with duration of 1 hour 53 minutes, this one did not feel that long. It did not have any mid or post end credit scene either. I read that the director Lee Tae-sung (who also was one of the writers), made his directorial debut here. I think the lead cast of Yim Si-wan and Park Gyu-young being part of the large assemble cast of the hugely popular Squid Game series also made this film more interesting for audience. In addition to the cast above, there were appearance of Sol Kyung-gu (The Moon, Hyper Knife TV series etc) reprising his role from Kill Boksoon, and several others like Bae Gang-hee (Castaway Diva TV series etc), Yoo Soo-bin (A Normal Family, Weak Hero TV series etc) & Hwang Sung-bin (The Winning Try TV series etc) as Mantis' old assassin friends Su-min, Dong-yeong and Bboombye respectively. Plus a surprise guest appearance which I better let you see for yourself.
Overall this was another stylish assassin movie in the Boksoon universe. It was pretty entertaining with the well executed fight scenes, with a different kind of story compared to the original. Although the plot was not extraordinary and the dynamics of the two lead characters was not too interesting for me, but in general it was still enjoyable to watch. With an ending that was pretty satisfying made this a good addition to the ever expanding South Korean content library of Netflix. So if you are interested in watching a stylish assassin film, you are welcome to give this a try, but better watch Kill Boksoon first before seeing this one to have better understanding.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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