Hangang

HRP is a cop drama that not only stays afloat, but it actually sails at times. It opens like a typical police action thriller. The bad guys, their big guns out, bust up a cruise and take hostages. Where's the police when you need them? Trust me, the police are all over this one.

There's nothing atypical in HRP, but coming up with entirely new things with any regularity is getting to be largely undoable. So we must look at the execution, and the execution is competent. Nothing more, nothing less. If you enjoy cop dramas, you should like this one. HRP is a 2023 release that is rated 83 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of a mere 6 55-minute episodes. It's miniscule compared to most Asian dramas that typically go on for 20+ hours.

Here's our misfit heroes:

Kwon Sang Woo (Why Her?-8, Queen of Mystery) is officer Han Du Jin. He's a specimen and a dedicated officer. He's tasty enough to inspire a crush or two. Bae Da Bin (It's Beautiful Now, Do You Like Brahms?) plays "weirdo" Do Na Hee. She's tough. She did military service. She can fight. She's a man's man, but she's a woman. She's also head over trotters for Han Du-Jin. He acts like he doesn't like it, but... She's awesome - the very best thing about the show.

Kim Hee Won (Misaeng: Incomplete Life-9.1, Moving) plays Lee Chun Suk, a River officer who can't 🏊 swim ~ the only one of his kind. He isn't one to seek out danger or extra work, either. When the time comes, we see that he will get the job done. Shin Hyun Seung (So Not Worth it, Be My Boyfriend) is Kim Ji Soo, the fresh faced kid on the force.

The prolific Sung Dong Il is Chief Do Won Il. He has a special relationship with Na Hee. I like the guy. So Far I've seen him in 200 Pounds Beauty-6.5, Along With the Gods 2: The Last 49 Days-6.7, Reply 1988 (still working on it) The K2-8, The Legend of the Blue Sea-7.2, The Cursed-8.3, Hospital Playlist-9, & Sisyphus: The Myth-8. The only show in which he felt slightly out of place is The Cursed. In everything else he shines.

On team-villains we have:

Lee Sang Yi (Once Again, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, When the Camellia Blooms-8) is the overly privileged bad guy, Go Ki Seok. He's a tad cartoonish, not that people like that don't really exist. The actor is with a prostitute in one scene and acts out having an org@sm - something I've not yet seen in a Kdrama. Like everything else the character does, he is all-in. It's a very convincing and intense climax. The scene is not gratuitous as it underscores his pathetic loneliness. He's also a baseball fan. I like that about him...

Jung Young-Joo (Move to Heaven-8.4, Lovely Runner) is the scary Madam Choi, another excellent character for which this actress is perfect ~ Total Dragon Lady. Choi Moo-Sung (Stranger S2, Prison Playbook, The Good Bad Mother, Reply 1988) is top villain, Hwang Man-Dae. I've only seen him in Reply, and he'll always be a big cuddly bear to me. Even as a bad guy, he's teddy-felon. Screenwriter & director Kim Sang Cheol (The Forgotten Bag) is primarily responsible for this show.

This is a simple but competent crime thriller and it is solid for the subset. The characters are fleshed out well enough and the tensions are mostly credible. There's great action and moments of brutal violence. One very cool underwater scuba fight is reminiscent of Sea Hunt and other 70's adventure shows. There's also a fantastic fight in a cramped car. HRP probably won't convert anyone to this genre, however. It serves to feed an established appetite.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.3 📝7 🎭8 💓5.5 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊6 🔚8 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡7.6 😅3 😭3 😱4 😯2 🤢5.5 🤔3 💤0

Age 16+ Sex depicted - even without nudity it is graphic. Language: $h!+ dhead, F💣 @$$h0le, but it is sparse. Rated TV-15/TV-MA

Re-📺? Probably not, but it is worth seeing once. I wouldn't miss a S2.

In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day - Love to Hate You 8.9, Crash Landing On You 9.1, Oh My Ghost 10, It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,

Action/Crime/Sci-fi - Descendants Of The Sun-8.3, Inspector Koo-8.4, Vagabond-8, When the Camellia Blooms-8, Law School -8,

K2 8, Private Lives 8.1, Sisyphus 8, Tunnel 8.5, Signal 8.6, Blood Free-8.5 D. P. -8.4,

The Cursed 8.3, The Wailing-8.8,

Flower of Evil 8.9, The Man from Nowhere 8.9, Black 9, Squid Game 8.4, Kingdom 8.3, Sweet Home 8.4.

The scores for this series steadily go down; in fact they plummet. Though KDrama and films are among the best in the world-maybe THE best-most fans know that they are not all superb or even all good. So when many people who love it so much score some of them like this one so low, there is a reason. We feel they are not very good, and there are too many more that are. I watched all 6 eps, and regarded it as a muddled mess, heavily influenced by the western demand for repetitious violence, sex for sex's sake, cliches, weak character development, and just a lot of plot and character confusion. It's a shame because the actors' talents are wasted in this series. They are not even showcased.

Yo, I'm not crticising.... but I watched this drama to release my stress after watching Money game. I really love the simplicity of this drama.

Killers shopping list is also this type of drama. Not so realistic but so cool. The actors did a good job in every scene not only the main actors also the sub characters. You should watch this if you are looking for some kind of simple and funny thriller. This is so good.

There were some common mistakes like any other drama. But overall this drama gives you a family vibe.

I don't want to spoil the content just watch it. About the ending of the drama,.... no wait, GO WATCH IT.

Another entertaining Korean police procedural, taking place on the Han River in Seoul, following the River Police Squad.

A short series (so far), but each hour + long episode offers a great mix of action, humor, mystery all in service of an overall conspiracy storyline. The actors are great, with some familiar face's amongst them, who deliver sincere performances, often with surprising wit and humor. There is a good backstory between two of the leads, which reveals itself over the series. The action is quite intense at times, with quite good action set pieces to keep the episode moving at a very good pace.

While, it doesn't break any new ground, it does a great job at entertaining the viewer.

Solid idea and setting with an interesting start but it was missing something to bring it to life. The plot just didn't click, the villains were as generic as they could come and the main uninspired conflict reeked of boredom. Dialogue that aimed for wit and intensity often missed the mark, coming off as either overly dramatic or just plain dull. Honestly, the only thing that was keeping it watchable was the handful of recognizable names from the cast members, at least the characters were well-portrayed by a competent cast. On the bright side, it was just six episodes, so it didn't overstay its welcome.