Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage (4/5) – Netflix Movie Review

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is a new thriller on Netflix. The movie is from South Korea and has most of the things we love from Korean movies. Check out the movie on Netflix and read more about it in our review here!

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is a new South Korean thriller on Netflix. The movie was previously known as Bad Police while the title now refers to the name of the lead character.

Recommended reading: We’ve made a list featuring some of the best genre films from South Korea – check it out here >

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is a bit of a slow-burn at times. Still, it has great characters and features the awesome (and very realistically awkward) fight scenes typical for Korean movies.

If you enjoy movies from South Korea, then you’ll want to check out this one on Netflix. Find out if Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is a movie for you in our review below.

A story about a cop named Jo Pil-ho

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is essentially the story of a police officer called Jo Pil-ho. He’s a bit of a loser in many ways. Also, he’s corrupt and tends to force other small time crooks into committing bigger crimes. Usually to steal money.

Still, the character of Jo Pil-ho is interesting and fascinating to watch. He’s not exactly a good person but he does know right from wrong. At least, he seems to when it really counts.

The lead character is played wonderfully by Lee Sun-kyun. He’s been in a lot of movies and TV series from South Korea, so you might recognize him if you’re familiar with Korean productions. 

A very typical South Korean production

We watch a lot of movies from South Korea and they very rarely disappoint. Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage doesn’t either and it is definitely worth watching.

In many ways, it is very typical of movies from South Korea, so if you’re familiar with these movies, you’ll know what to expect. Also, you will see quite a few familiar faces in this movie.

Netflix actually has quite a lot of truly awesome movies from South Korea. If you like Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage, you should really enjoy the Korean Netflix series Possessed (read our review here). In fact, when this movie began, I was immediately reminded of this series. Even though it features supernatural elements as well (as the title indicates rather heavily).

Watch Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage on Netflix now!

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage was written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. If you look at the movie on IMDb, you’ll find that it was previously titled Bad Police.

Overall, it’s a very accomplished thriller even if it does feel a bit long (mostly in the first half). This is the sixth feature film for Lee Jeong-beom as a writer and the fifth as a director.

This new South Korean movie on Netflix is typical of a thriller from South Korea; There’s a huge focus on building up characters and especially their interaction. Also, with a runtime of just over 2 hours, Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is one of the shorter movies from South Korea. 

Check out Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage (aka Bad Police) if you’re in the mood for an efficient and intelligent action thriller on Netflix.

Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage is out on Netflix in various countries from May 3, 2019.

Details

Director: Lee Jeong-Beom
Writer: Lee Jeong-Beom
Starring: Lee Sun-Kyun, Jeon So-Nee, Park Hae-Joon, Song Young-Chang, Park Byung-Eun, Kim Min-Jae, Jung Ga-Ram

Plot

On the run from a dogged internal affairs agent, a corrupt cop reluctantly teams up with a defiant teen to unravel a conspiracy — before it’s too late.