Believer 2

If like me, you liked the first movie, then don't watch this sequel. It just deconstructs everything from the first movie, including the excellent plot twist, ruins characters, and has a TERRIBLE ending. I have no idea why this was greenlit, and who thought this was a good idea. It has some decent gunfights, but that's the only good thing about it.

If like me, you liked the first movie, then don't watch this sequel. It just deconstructs everything from the first movie, including the excellent plot twist, ruins characters, and has a TERRIBLE ending. I have no idea why this was greenlit, and who thought this was a good idea. It has some decent gunfights, but that's the only good thing about it.

BELIEVER 2 is a follow-up to the 2018 original that carries straight on from the action of the first movie. It's been a fair few years since I saw that one so I was left understandably confused by the first fifteen minutes, but once things work out this becomes easy to follow, adopting a typical template of rival drugs gangs battling for supremacy while the cops try to arrest all of them. It's vividly violent and gritty throughout, with visceral action dominating in the form of mass shootings and brutal executions. The usual quality you expect from Korean cinema is present and correct here, and if it falls short of brilliance, then it's still an undeniably involving production.

The original Believer (Dokjeon) was very good. It's not flawless, but definitely worth watching. It was no surprise when it was announced that they would make another movie based on the original story. While many expected what would be a sequel, the director decided to make a "midquel." Okay, so the new movie is trying to fill in some of the events and details that make the first movie to make the entire story a more complete story. Well, the problem is that you have a different director, different actor playing one of the lead role, many of the characters that made the first move so interesting have already died, etc. Even with these obvious flaws, they had a chance to create a decent movie here. But no... This movie completely ignores some of the fundamental storylines from the first movie. There are so many plot holes that it seems the director who made the second movie did not even watch the first movie. Very, very disappointing for a movie that many fans had eagerly anticipated.

They swapped actors for two of the main characters since the first film, I watched half of this one before realising it so don't make my mistake or you'll be totally lost! The woman who plays Mr Lee's daughter is like a cartoon, totally hammy acting. No huge twists like the first film, and total lack of tension. Not even sure who I'm rooting for by the end of the film. There's a scene where three of the main characters who are all enemies are discussing their final plan together, I couldn't explain what the hell was going on even if my life depended on it! If you enjoyed the first film - leave it there, give this one a miss.

This is the second film, the first puzzled me so much...But of course if the producers foresaw a sequel, that explains why I did not like the ending of the first, unlike this second part. Yes, the ending saves the movie for someone like me. For the rest, well, that's Korean, nothing to do with Western countries cinema - USA as well as Europe. It is bloody, many gratuitous violence, with although an interesting female supporting character, hardly convincing however. But I liked it. Too many characters whom I most of the time confounded. This was predictable for a movie from South Korea. And this time there won't be any more sequel.