Local Hero (2016)

There are dramas that start good and become great. And there are dramas that start average and become... really bad. Sadly, Local Hero belongs to the latter. As much as I wanted to prove all those negative opinions otherwise, I just had no chance. It's a wonder that I actually finished the drama although my interest and concentration vanished halfway through.

I feel bad for rating a drama so low because I know that the actors and directors and producers usually put alot of effort in their projects. But I couldn't help myself and I should have known better after seeing the first action scene in the first episode.

So, where to start...
Well, first of all: The drama didn't seem to know what genre it was in. Crime? Suspense? Romance? Comedy? Ridiculous twists? Nothing matched the other. Even if a drama has various genres combined, there should at least be some common vibe during the whole drama. But that wasn't the case.

The plot.
At the beginning it seemed interesting but as it continued it looked like the writers only thought about the next episode but not about the bigger picture. So, everything looked kinda messed up. There were plot-holes and strange behavior by side characters and turns of events that didn't make sense at all. As it went further ahead it just couldn't pull off the excitement and suspense because of all those absurd things that happened as the story continued.

The cast/The acting.
I really, really wanted to give them a chance. It's Park Shi Hoo finally again, dammit. But even he couldn't convince me at at all in the end. His acting wasn't what it used to be back then (That doesn't mean I won't try out other new projects of him though)
I got annoyed by many ridiculous, shallow characters, but most of all by Seo Ahn played by Choi Yoon So. It seemed like she only had one facial expression. She had ALWAYS the same stare. Furthermore, since she was supposed to be the love interest for Baek Shi Hoon (Park Shi Hoo), she had no chemistry with her co-actor. NOTHING.

Choi Chan Gyu was just dump. The actor himself even admitted that he played a dump character who's only good at running. (Well, I'm sure he meant that in a good way. Not me though)

Writer Bae played by Kwon Yu Ri... well, she was average. She had my support regarding a possible love interest but she couldn't keep that up as her character didn't develop at all. But there was definitely more chemistry between her and Park Shi Hoo than with Seo Ahn.

The only one I really, really liked here (among some other side characters) was police officer In Tae Ho (Jo Sung Ha) and his family. All of them were very adorable. He was the only one who actually showed reasonable inner conflicts and a change of heart in the end.

Also, that one bad guy. Yoon Sang Min (Yoon Tae Young) showed more than just one side of him and the actor was convincing in his role.

I'm not blaming all of it on the acting. I'm partly putting the responsibility for the drama's failure on the directing and script. They didn't do a proper job here and they certainly didn't use the full potential of all those (usually) very good actors. There were scenes where they could have shown more emotion whereas in some other moments half of it would have been sufficient.

Action scenes/cinematography:
Bad. Just bad. Camera movements were too shaky. I know that it's also a method to create some mood but in this show it was too much and made the action scenes become either very blurry or just too vivid (not realistic). It also made the fighting scenes look visibly staged or out of focus.

Music:
Well, it wasn't bad but sometimes it was kinda over-dramatized.

Re-watch value.
Not. At. All. Wasted time in my opinion.

Leia Mais

Local Hero is an OK drama. It was hard getting through the first 5 episodes, but it got better after that. The story is interesting and for the most part well written. Beyond being a spy/suspense drama, the neighborhood togetherness and supporting cast stories are more enjoyable. It is weird for me to write that because normally I feel like a lot of characters and side stories are unnecessary in a drama. This time they ARE the story. The whole point is to protect the people and it was nice to get to know the people that are being protected both good and bad. I also liked the dynamics between all of the characters and the character development. It ended as I thought it would.

It was interesting seeing Park Shi Hoo in a drama after his big "scandal". I have always thought he was cute and a good actor. Nothing has changed. Lee Soo Hyuk was excellent as cute, conflicted but loyal Choi Chan Gyu. The other actors are good too.

Yoon Tae Young as Yoon Sang Min stole the show. I know he was a bad guy, but I was totally infatuated with him from beginning to end. He is pretty much the only character that I cared about. I think it was worth watching this drama for him alone.

The music is good in this also.

I won't rewatch this.

If you enjoy community and action dramas, then I think you would enjoy this.

Leia Mais

I really loved this series. The beauty of the series lies in the characters. It thrusts them in your face and then rips your heart to smithereens. The action was absolutely great, and we have a character who can actually fight who isn't perfect all the time.
There is the over done trope where he hides his 'secret agent identity' and people almost find out who he is, but for some reason there was still a sense of mystery.

Story/Plot:
It reminded me of rough cut, and fugitive plan:B- but a shit tonne better. While rough cut had some brutal action scenes (I recommend rough cut if you're into action) this had the right level of class, but not over playing it (what I found with fugitive). Local Hero gives things class, while keeping a sense of realism.
As for my enjoyment of the story: It was nail biting in places, made me cry in others, it had me shook.
Not to mention the cast was very 'aesthetic'.

Anime Similarities Vibe:
Death Parade, Bartender, The Irregular, Jikan no Eve.

Characters:
The development of the characters was enjoyable to watch, and follow their interactions. The most interesting thing about some of them, was their ability to be imperfect.

And that is all I am going to say on this topic haha.

It is a slow burner- with plenty of time to set the stage before things start exponentially get exciting and action packed.

Overall 9/10
It could have made it to a 10 if the photography was next level.
Tldr; Watch this if you are into action and a slow build up of flawed characters. Some dramas create a comforting vibe and others lack spark. This one had spark and maintained a comforting vibe.

Leia Mais

I don't get why this drama has that much of disappointed comments. I thought it was good, of course not the best but good! I think it's even better than lot of applauded drama of these days ^-^
Story: the story is quite classical of some parts -especially the end- are cliché, but it still is nice. You get surprised in every episode by something.
Acting/cast : not exceptional but they still played good. Beautiful actors. I had already seen in The K2 the guy who plays here the policeman, but I hadn't really liked the way he acted. This drama made me like him more.
Of course their smile/mimics can get a bit annoying after 16 episodes but it's quite normal in dramas haha
Music... Ah, the music... This is the best point about this drama. A big part of the plot is played in a bar so of course the music choice is large. But for action and everything, there was great music. Sometimes they used the same one again, sometimes it was a new music for only one action. But honestly, this drama was a pleasure to watch especially thanks to the music!
Rewatch value: well, once you know the plot, of course it gets less interesting, but I know I'll probably re watch it in a few month. Even if only for the music or the way it is filmed (because it is greatly well filmed!)
So I really enjoyed this drama. I had been in a little hole, not knowing what to watch next as I though I had already watched everything related to this thema and dropping countless drama. But I really liked this one. I can understand that some people can get bored, especially in the first two episode, but it wasn't my case. It's certainly a bit too much long, but a lot of drama are like that nowadays.
My opinion: go watch it! Don't drop it after only the two first episode. You have to let the plot get installed.
(Sorry for my bad English u_u)

Leia Mais

Well I for one just finished watching this and I don't know...I liked it. If it didn't have any fighting scenes I probably still would've watched it.

I'm not familiar with the main character but his fighting was what kept me watching. I'm all for any actor who has mad martial art skills. And no, I didn't watch it for drool factors but for the fighting and yes, a bit of bromance. I don't know why but I absolutely love Korean bromances! Not only was the bromance there, the chemistry with each cast member was great as well. That's why I enjoyed this series so much.

I even found myself for rooting for some of the bad guys close to the end.

There was a bit of romance in here which I try to avoid but it wasn't overly done in my case. Again, the fighting scenes were great. I wish there was more to solving the 'who dunnit' factor but hey, the writers can only do so much.

It's funny...whenever there's a series with a low score I end up liking. If it has a high score I question it because most of the time if it involves a male lead it will get a high score because of how the guy looks. Some reviewers should be ashamed of themselves for that.

Leia Mais

I normally don't go out of my way to write a review for MDL. I've got more K-Dramas to watch. However, I want to save you from falling into this trap.
Let's start with the good stuff: Yuri acts well. She doesn't only look georgous, she actually plays a vital part in the story and conveys genuine looking emotions. Second good thing about this is the story. It's a quite interesting perspective: former agent runs a local bar and keeps hoodlums out of the neighborhood. It's got action, and... action. And some action. The rest... well, let me get to that.

So now on to the rest: the rest of the actors. Much of this is related to the writing, but the actors themselves failed to lift their mediocre (at best) characters to new levels.
Park Si Hoo looks scary. He's a pretty boy and it seems like he knows how to fight, but for the rest... He's unable to show any emotion apart from his smile, which makes him look pretty creepy. Cho Seong Ha is a veteran, but doesn't transcend the level of failed amateur in this K-Drama. His emotions aren't there, his acting is off the wall and transparant. Lee Soo Hyuk should've complained about his character, or protested and stop performing all together. His character is childish, idiotic and stupid.  Yoon Tae Young is the bad guy, butkeeps going back and forth between being the super villain who gives orders to kill people and being scared of some dudes in a suit, almost bawling his eyes out. It's totally unrealistic and beyond believe.
The bad acting starts in episode one and doesn't end untill episode 11. There's a decent episode there and one more with 12 though that's already going back down to earlier levels. And the final 4 are as bad as the rest.

I wanted to talk about the writing, but that would be spoiling. The writing is inconsistent, flawed and beyond believe. I'm not talking about some minor flaws, but major plotholes that destroy any credibility the story had. And it already had none.

Although the music isn't bad, it just doesn't fit. There's a scene where the main lead tells his old flame that he trusts her. Queue romantic, soft ballad. After which he completely devours her face. I'm not even kidding. It's like watching a hungry lion eating the carcas of an antilope which died of a disease while you're listening to some smooth jazz.

I've been extremely underwhelmed with this K-Drama and thought about dropping it multiple times. The reasons why I didn't were Yuri and because I didn't want this to get the honour of being the first K-Drama I dropped.

If you think I'm wrong, watch the first 5 minutes of episode one. That cringy feeling you get there will last you through the entire drama. Trust me, watch something else

Leia Mais

Как и многие клюнула на каст, потому что, без преувеличения звезда на звезде да на известных актерах прошлого, настоящего и будущего. Но на выходе получилась каша-мала. С жанром не определились, со второй половине вообще проскальзывала самоирония и пародия на дорамапром. Шпионская трагедь как-то не впечатлила, а ее современные отголоски казались притянутыми за уши. в общем досмотрела только потому, что актеры - мужчины все как на подбор, с женским кастом было печально как никогда. Ну и Ли Су Хёк.

Leia Mais

Hi friends. This is a second time I am writhing a review for a drama. Ok let's get to the point.
This drama's story line or fighting skills or characters acting are simply good and natural. People who may love action drama will definitely wil like it.
If you ask me "Is this drama is full of action? - No. (50% action & balance 20% value of life, 20% value of friendship / family / society, 10% is about money)"
You may think why I have mentioned only 10% for money is it the drama starts with the problem of money? Yes, it is. But, other than evil people who manipulate the commeners for money is actually a cheap tricks and people will fall unfortunately.
Now get to the story line in here our main hero is an agent who is inactive cz of his past mission (was a failure & his friend died). So, after spending his 3yrs in prision he comes back to his home town to find bad people & get revenge on them. On the way
He buy a bar where former inactive agents visits and spend their time drinking & thinking about their past.
So our main hero gets interested in buying this bar and requests the bar owner who is also an retired former agent to sell it to him. Then the story connects with the help of agents the local common living people near by fight for their right to have their own property over there and all of the bad things happening now will be connected to the three yr ago (his friend's murder case).
In this drama there are lots of ups and down but still there are some episodes which is very inspiring and lovable.
I hope you guys can caugh up this drama some time.......

Leia Mais

story is all over the place rip

started watching it for lee soo hyuk but the story/characters are kinda all over the place except for his character... i know the main plot is finding out the culprit of the case the ML went to prison for, but that isn't obvious at all, and literally the only 2 characters that I like are changyu and jungyun... the MC is cute but his actions literally make no sense.. "my feelings for you died when my friend died" like what ToT

im all for romance subplots but his & his ex's is so unnecessary-- (not rlly changyu and jungyun that much tho they're cute imo). to be honest, he would've had much more of a motive to go after those people if the one they killed was his fiance/ex

also the police officer dad doing dirty work to provide for his children is so random like why... doesn't even go with the story lmfao

and the writer's imaginary scenarios where some lady secret agent in a bar is dancing w a guy.... what does this add to the plot ToT what genre are we even going for..

to be honest, it would've made more sense if the MC opened up a martial arts practice place like he said he would after getting out of prison & that could've been what made the 2 MLs meet-- it also could've prevented 398593485 different unnecessary secret agent side characters that go to the random secret agent bar in the middle of some random neighborhood

in conclusion, this drama is kinda all over the place so that's why i'm stopping it

it rlly wasn't as bad as im making it sound but I need a plot that goes together and characters/relationships that aren't unnecessary... PLS

Leia Mais