Taxi Driver: Season 1 – Netflix Review

TAXI DRIVER on Netflix is a new crime thriller series from South Korea (org. title Mobeomtaeksi). The season has 16 episodes, so there are plenty of storylines to dig into. It’s a classic revenge plot, but with a lot more than meets the eye – based on a webtoon. Read our Taxi Driver season 1 review here!

TAXI DRIVER is a new crime series on Netflix. It’s from South Korea (org. title Mobeomtaeksi) and there are a whopping 16 one-hour episodes in this first season. From the opening scene, you’ll realize that this is a fast-paced series with many interesting characters and impressive production quality.

It’s based on the webtoon “Deluxe Taxi” by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin. The plot is very revenge-focused which is something I do tend to enjoy. I mean, come on, who doesn’t like to watch the bad guys (or girls) get a taste of their own medicine?!

Continue reading our Taxi Driver season 1 review below and find all 16 episodes of season 1 on Netflix in select countries now!

From webtoon to TV series

Taxi Driver is based on the webtoon “Deluxe Taxi” by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin. This is far from the first webtoon that’s been adapted into a series. Most recently, the series All of Us are Dead was produced by Netflix and it worked really well. That’s the kind of adaption I really enjoy because it feels like it has a style and soul of its own.

Unlike the Netflix series Cowboy Bebop which was based on an anime. That one just felt like a live-action remake of the original animated production. Not something I’m a huge fan of in general, so maybe I’m not the right person to judge that style.

In fact, if I hadn’t read up on this series to find out that it was based on a webtoon, I never would have known. Sure, there are some elements that feel straight out of a comic book. But, to be fair, James Bond movies can feel that way too. Or the Bourne Identity movies.

Plotting the perfect revenge

In Taxi Driver, a group of people helps those seeking revenge. Or rather, they find people who are so tired of feeling robbed of justice that they’re ready to just give up on life. The group from Rainbow Taxi finds these people and offers them a new lease on life; Get revenge and you’ll want to live again.

Under the name of “Deluxe taxi” (which was the name of the webtoon this series is based on), they help plan and execute the revenge. And it’s never quite as simple as you might think. These people aren’t just assassins. Real revenge is making someone pay for their crimes over time. Not just by taking their lives.

By episode 1, you’ll probably agree that some people are in dire need of learning some serious lessons. Also, you’ll see that the place where these revenge actions are planned feels a bit like the Batcave mixed with MI6 when Q is introducing gadgets to James Bond.

Fun fact: The real-life equivalent of Q is actually a woman. Not that this has anything to do with Taxi Driver though there is a really tough woman among the revenge crew as well.

Watch season 1 of Taxi Driver on Netflix now!

Apart from being based on a webtoon, Taxi Driver was written for the screen by Lee Ji-Hyun and Sang-ho Oh. The director of the series is Park Joon-woo, who isn’t someone I’m familiar with. The series premiered in South Korea (as well as online in a few other countries) in April of 2021, so it already has plenty of fans worldwide. The current IMDb rating of 8.1 should tell you as much.

For the record, this Taxi Driver series has nothing to do with Martin Scorsese’s 1976 movie starring Robert De Niro as “Travis Bickle”. In fact, I think it’s a damn shame that they didn’t just stick with the webtoon title of “Deluxe Taxi” to avoid any confusion. Then again, that doesn’t sound much like a crime-thriller series, so I get how the attachment to Scorsese’s film is better.

However, do not expect the taxi driver in this South Korean series on Netflix to be anything like De Niro’s Travis Bickle. He is an excellent fighter but also tries to be calm and fair when he’s “on the job”.

Taxi Driver season 1 is out on Netflix in most countries (though not in the US, it would appear) from April 22, 2022.

Details

Director: Joon-Woo Park
Script: Lee Ji-Hyun, Sang-ho Oh
Stars: Lee Jehoon, Esom, Kim Eui-sung, Bae Yu-ram, Cha Ji-yeon, Jang Hyuk-jin, Lee Ho-cheol, Lee Yu-jun, Pyo Ye-jin, Yu Seung-mok