Believer

Believer has a well-told, entertaining story sustaining a running time 20 minutes longer than “Drug War.” With the extra space, Lee explores the motivations of his two protagonists, working toward similar ends for different reasons.

Despite the congested narrative, there is much to keep audiences entertained including the compelling performances by the entire cast.

Believer may be more impressive around the edges than at its core, but that doesn’t prevent it from delivering a pretty solid two hours of action and suspense that’s muscularly directed by Lee and stylishly shot by Kim Tae-kyung.

It’s damning, if not quite fatal, that Lee’s version works best when it’s riffing on the standout elements of the source material rather than trying to reinvent them.

Believer works best as a series of perpetually escalating confrontations.

A Predictable Reveal and Muddled Sentimentality Undermine a Promising Crime Noir.180926 (2.5)The supposedly shocking face of Teacher Lee felt glaringly obvious from the start. The moment the film writes conviction on the surface while reading as ambiguous emotional pandering underneath, the entire narrative loses its core focus. Considering the formidable reputation and mystique built up around Teacher Lee throughout the story, handling the reveal like that was immensely frustrating. Directed by Lee Hae-young, the 2018 neo-noir crime action film "Believer" (Dokjeon) follows an ambitious detective who allies with a low-level cartel survivor to take down Asia's biggest clandestine drug ring and unmask its elusive kingpin. Despite stylish visuals and intense ensemble performances, the central mystery falters under predictable narrative beats and uneven character motivations.