User reviews

As Episode 1 of "A Model Family" (2022 release from South Korea; 10 episodes of about 40-45 min each) opens, we are introduced to a husband and wife who have a teenage daughter and a younger daughter. The husband just lost a bunch of money in a bribery scheme to become a tenured professor. His young son needs heart surgery, and he needs to come up with money, the sooner , the better. Then one day his parked car is hit from the back by a van. Amazingly, both the driver and one passenger are dead and when the husband notices a big bag full of cash, he can't resist and takes off with the cash...

Couple of comments: this is the latest "fish out of water" look at an average guy who unbeknownst gets sucked up in the world of drug cartels and cops. The first question is of course whether he will get away with the drug money. Along the way, we get to know his complicated family, which in and of itself causes headaches for the husband. All that aside, the episodes fly by rather quickly, and I'm now 4 episodes into it. No idea how this is going to end when all is said and done.

"A Model Family" premiered in Netflix this past weekend. I've got 6 episodes left which i suspect I'll wrap up over the next 2 nights. If you are in the mood for a foreign crime drama that puts an average guy in an unexpected situation, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Started off pretty good, but then ruined by annoying characters. The main character is supposed to be a Professor, but makes a lot of really dumb decisions. Not to mention he's the biggest pushover ever and just a huge coward. There's no real character arch for him, he's just the same sad coward the whole time. Then there's the female characters. Every female character seems so lifeless and dreadful. It's just unbearable to watch. Other than the main gangster character, there's no one you want to really root for. Lastly, the music just seems so out of place. This show is supposed to be intense and have some suspense, but for some reason they throw in this really slow country type song that seems way out of place and takes you out of any feeling of tension. It had the potential to be great, but ended up being mediocre at best.

A lot of betrayal and reversal betrayal in this korean flic drama.

The show does an excellent job in showing two different worlds. The world of organized crimes and the world where regular people live in. Once regular people get into the organized crimes, it is almost impossible to get out of it.

This is also about family drama. No family is perfect but in face of adversity, it shows that the members will not hesitate to work together (even on their own) to keep the family together.

The actions are okay. Characters development are a bit lacking. But not everyone need to become a hero at the end.

It offers a representation of the crimes world and where regular people enter it. Decisions from the characters can be frustrating. Overall, the korean drama is good and can be enjoyed.

The Wife character, Kang Eun-Ju (played by actress Yoon Jin-Seo), who was married to the male lead character, Park Dong-Ha (played by actor Jung Woo) ruined it for me. I couldn't get past the Wife's mean, cruel, demeaning, bossy, selfish existence. She was always blaming and putting the husband down; chastising the daughter; acting disgusted towards her mother; pretending to be a concerned parent. She was so annoying with her dead-fish look, it was unbearable. As crazy as this sounds, but her drug-mule husband was way too good for her! She absolutely didn't deserve him, or her kids and mother.

I don't know if the actress has a dead-fish look in real-life, or if she was portraying the wife character that way per the writer/director's wishes, but it killed it for me.

Episodes 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are all good and I rated them 9/10. In episode 1.4, after 5 minutes, there is an explicit sex scene that is out of place and inserted there by netflix to make the series more attractive but it does exactly the opposite.

I liked this show. Yes, it has issues like most other shows, but it is enjoyable.

The main character is so dumb. He seemingly does the wrong thing every single time. The daughter is insufferable. Typical depiction of a "pissed at the world" teenager. The wife's expression doesn't change at all. The entire show, never changes her I am depressed face. The hatred for her simp husband is well documented throughout, but a little expression diversity would have been welcomed.

The other actors are good. I have seen many of them in other shows or movies and they maintain their excellent performances.

Overall, a show with issues but enjoyable non the less.

Whatever you say, Park Hee Son was born to play the gangster and you can't argue with me. I wouldn't watch the show if he wasn't there. He's the most charismatic character of the show. I hope that he will achieve all his goals. And despite all this, we need to see more gangsters portrayed by Park Hee Son! I don't know if I was I was impressed by any other kdrama actors like that. He has everything: talent, charisma, aura and so on. Probably there will be season 2 and we need to see more Kwang-Chul! And please don't let him die or arrested by police. He's the one who makes the show worth to watch.

One of the best kdrama in recent times. Once you start watching, you might complete within a day or two. From start to finish this series is very entertaining, you won't get bored at any point. Gets absolute chaotic at the end. Can't wait for Season 2.

Was prepared to get into this , but a regular joe come as across a car filled with dead guys and a bag of 💰but decides to drive their car, bury their bodies in his own yard, after driving them through a checkpoint why?? You can't just take the money, wipe prints off and run? The logic is so absent I can't continue, the Americans have done this storyline much better. Can't do more than 15 minutes.

This Korean drama is centred on a college lecturer who has wasted his family's savings trying to bribe his way to a professorship. Now he desperately needs the money to pay for urgent medical treatment for his son. Then one day it looks as if his prayers have been answered... he comes across a car containing two dead men and a large bag packed with cash. Inevitably this is the start for greater problems rather than the end of them. That sort of money isn't going to go unmissed and soon the cartel are looking for it. Events will lead to our protagonist being forced to work as a deliveryman for the cartel, come to the notice of the police and struggle to keep his family together. The series also follows activities within the cartel and the police, in particular one policewoman, who are targeting the criminals.

I really enjoyed this series. I've seen a few Korean crime series and this is probably the grittiest; there are certainly very few laughs to be had. It can be argued that some very silly choices are made but without them we wouldn't have had much of a series... and desperate times can lead to people making the wrong choices. There is plenty of tension; we are quickly shown just how far the cartel will go to find the cash and deal with those who cross them; if you are bothered by the sight of somebody having toes removed with garden tools might want to give this a miss! The cast is solid; most obviously Jung Woo and Park Hee-soon who play our lecturer and the cartel leader who moves into the house next to his. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of crime dramas.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

Another well made K Drama! Jung Woo was simply superb as the main protagonist, the ordinary Professor who gets entangled with the Mafia. A well crafted series with superb visuals and a good storyline.

A slow burn but definitely worth the watch. Will keep you on your toes. Just watch the first 15 minutes of Ep 1 and the rest is self explanatory.

It does have a breaking bad vibe to it. Story is incredible and flows like water. Acting is impeccable and suspenseful.

It's really nice series I have seen every thing is good I this series reminde me of squid game because in that also it's all about money and in this also all is about money and in last the main character get phone call and in this also character get phone call I am just waiting for season 2 I wish it comes soon. Thanku for making series.

Stopped after watching initial 15/20 mins as the premise on which the story is built looks ridiculous. I mean, why will someone implicate oneself more and more in someone else's crime leaving common sense out of the window. Take the money, wipe your finger prints and run. That's it. But no, there is a series to be made so, create a illogical premise and then I am sure more illogical stuff to follow.

Money kills Humanity. This is an important mirror of our turbo-capitalism world. Everybody talks about chances but in reality far not everyone has and few realize the lie whithin. Fantasic series about our degenerated life purpose.

Actors did really good work doing this series ,, like all of them were good , characters are written good also they are developed in a good speed, it had some vibes of the show "Ozark".

The series was in a fluctuating performance, some episodes were really good ! And some were ok and so it didn't have consistency.

Maybe the show was missing a little more tense scenes and more violence in the sake of more gothic atmosphere , just to make your emotions envolved more , but expecting a good come back in a the second season, so definitely i will be waiting for it.

Overall, i think it was one of the best crime and korean drama i have watched so far... And Hope you can do more in the second season.

Just in the first 20 minutes, there are too many continuity errors that make it impossible to suspend disbelief. First, a detail which precedes a series of more illogical deeds: the main character bangs his head repeatedly on the steering wheel, and immediately, a close shot shows no trace on his forehead, or a single hair out of place?!

Then on a straight road that goes on for miles, the car that passes him vanishes the moment he turns his head!

Thirdly, the man drives 2 (TWO!) cars home (and through a checkpoint) without seemingly any time in between, how?!

He then buries 2 corpses in his backyard, when just a short while earlier, a neighbor was in his driveway! He cleans the dead men's car in his garage, and drives it to some remote lake, where he leaves it nicely parked on the shore, instead of dumping it in the lake.

All this and more inane details in just the first 20 minutes! Can't imagine 10 episodes on this silliness!

I hold Korean movies in high regard, but this series is too over the top silly.

It was a simple story but the dubbed version was too confusing... everyone's voices sounded the same and had no emotions. Couldn't figure who is who with the names. It was really slow after the first episode. Give it a try if you can keep up to the characters than it's good.

Women all looked the same, couldn't distinguish between the wife and police officer till late in the season. Wife was way too grumpy. Was she upset because of the son's illness and husband was never there or because husband waited too long to become a professor? Don't know what her deal was!

Only character that I enjoyed was the little kid.

Would not recommend! Try watching something else.

If you find a car with two dead bodies and a lot of money inside in the middle of nowhere and if you set your mind on grabbing that fat bag of cash, what would you do?

Would you, for instance, take the money, bury the two dead bodies in your very own yard and drive and park the car by a lake? Would you notice that one of the buried bodies has a phone ringing nonstop, dig the phone out to dispose of it, see that the deceased had a wife/girlfriend, feel sorry, give up on the idea of dumping the phone and take it back home?

Or... Would you just take the money and be done with it? One doesn't have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to pick the right option.

I actually tried to force myself past this horrible kickstart, but eventually quit.

I will pounce on every Korean series or movie with good production value as long as it's not that teenage soap/drama crap.

This one has been the first to massively disappoint me in a long time.

I don't know. Maybe some might like it. Still, I'd recommend not wasting even a tiny bit of your time on this.

In fact, go watch Extracurricular if you are looking for a Korean crime mini-series. Absolutely 10 times better.