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"A Killer Paradox," starring Choi WooShik, Son SukKu, and Lee HeeJun, is now streaming on Netflix.
This K-Drama is currently ranked the 4th most-watched TV show on Netflix and an average audience score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
If you haven't watched "A Killer Paradox" yet, you may be wondering, is this worth my time?
Let's find out!
Spoiler Alert!
"A Killer Paradox" ("살인자ㅇ난감")
Netflix
Based on the original Naver webtoon by Kkomabi
Directed by Lee ChangHee
Written by Kim DaMin
Music by Dalpalan
Logline: A young man retaliates against society with murder, only to realize that he has the supernatural power of spotting sinners, leading him down a spiraling path of serial murders with a charismatic detective on his tail.
Kpopmap Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
What We Liked About "A Killer Paradox"
First and foremost, "A Killer Paradox" is a masterclass in acting. The combination of Choi WooShik, Son SokKu, and Lee HeeJun itself is enough to intrigue the audience and get them to tune in.
However, their impeccable dynamic on the show, the way their storylines melt into and influence each other, and the tragic culmination of it all is what forms the core strength of this series.
All three actors have outstanding screen presence, so much so that it becomes one of the main reasons why you will want to finish the series.
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We have Lee Tang (Choi WooShik) - a twisted and inconsistent young man who recklessly acts on his impulse to kill and ends up with a god complex when he realizes that his victims just happen to be criminals; Jang NanGam (Son SukKu) - a detective with a killer hunch who loses his way in pursuit of revenge; and Song Chon (Lee HeeJun) - a former detective turned serial killer with an aimless moral compass, convinced of his right to pass judgment on society.
The lines differentiating these characters from each other are blurred in "A Killer Paradox". All three characters are equally self-righteous but in their own ways.
Lee Tang doesn't really have a motive for his first murder except for being ticked off. When he realizes his "sixth sense", he's happy to continue playing god until his ability turns on his own self (his sense is activated when he looks at himself in the mirror). Afterwards, he has no intention of being a vigilante or society's dark hero. He couldn't care less if a woman was being harassed right in front of him!
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Song Chon, on the other hand, becomes a murderer out of wrath and revenge against NanGam's father. However, unlike Tang, he wants to be a hero and take justice into his own hands, dishing out death to those he sees fit. He is eager to meet Tang because he is fascinated by his ability to accurately judge who deserves to die. However, he quickly realizes that Lee Tang is no hero.
Jang NanGam claims to be a fair detective, always relying on evidence and his nose for criminals. However, he's too preoccupied with preserving his ego to do whatever it takes to bring the culprits down. Similarly, when faced with his father's killer, he doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger on him. So, he's not that different from Lee Tang or Song Chon after all.
When Tang offers to do the job for him and succeeds, he even lets him go, deferring the job of catching him to someone else. He also lets Roh Bin (Kim YoHan) die for the sake of the "big plan". Not very fair detective of him, really, but in his defense, just like his name, which means "toy", he gets played throughout the show.
In essence, the characters in "A Killer Paradox" are all flawed, but the path they each take and the choices they make are what keep us on our toes. After all, a character doesn't need to be good or likable; they just need to be interesting for the audience to be able to connect with the story.
So, accordingly, while it is hard to completely "like" any character in this show, their unpredictability is what propels the narrative forward.
It is precisely because Lee Tang isn't even up for taking on the villain role full-throttle and handling the consequences of what he got himself into, or how Jang NanGam appears competent but fails to protect those around him time and time again that the drama is able to subvert our expectations and preconceived notions and keep us going until the end to see how things change.
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It is also interesting that the drama never clarifies if Lee Tang's knack for identifying criminals is supernatural after all or if it's all just plain happenstance that his victims are awful people and he keeps getting away with murder.
As such, the audience can never truly see him as a standard anti-hero because there's always a chance that he's just a psychopath with unlimited strokes of luck.
Plot aside, "A Killer Paradox" is a work of art. The style of direction, which is described as "pop artsy" is one of the best things about the show, keeping the audience from letting monotony set in.
The choppy structure juxtaposes the past and present, making us question what's real, and provides a stylistic masterpiece to feast on. The tonal dissonance is carefully placed, not too much, not too little, so it's just irreverent enough to exhilarate the audience but not to distract from the narrative and make us uncomfortable.
Huge props are also due to the music director for the show, Dalpalan, without whom "A Killer Paradox" would have been incomplete.
What Could've Been Better
"A Killer Paradox" seems to lose its own plot as it goes on. What I thought would be a riveting psychological thriller complete with mind games and a cat-and-mouse chase reminiscent of "Death Note" quickly turned a tad bit repetitive with too many detours.
Right when we're starting to get the rush of Jang NanGam going after Lee Tang, something else pops up to take us away from the satisfaction of the chase. We never really get a battle of wits between our two main characters, and this is primarily because Lee Tang is painfully listless and has an unreasonably OP "murder manager" to clean up after him.
All his life, Lee Tang has only had fleeting ideas of how he wants to live his life. When he finds a semblance of purpose with his ability to spot sinners, he abandons it after a couple of random murders when he realizes that he may be in trouble.
Lee Tang derives pleasure and self-gratification from murder and justifies it by his "power" of recognizing miscreants, but he doesn't want the burden of vigilantism if it will get him caught because he's scared.
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Unlike a character like Light from "Death Note", who was thoroughly prepared to stick to his ideology, Lee Tang completely lacks any sense of the same. His only driving force is self-preservation and nothing else.
It is sheerly out of self-preservation that he commits his first two murders, and only then does he infer that his urge to kill is directly proportional to the degree of evil he is facing.
Then again, he apparently wants to finish what he started and doesn't run away but starts it over again soon after.
Sure, such a villain is rare, and his strange half-heartedness brings novelty to the story as we ponder the moral greyness of Lee Tang, but it's just not gripping enough to sustain the story by itself, as the character development seems half-done.
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Is Lee Tang just a bad guy who wants to go on killing sprees whenever he wants but whines about being held accountable? What makes him any different from a petty criminal, then?
Is he just an ordinary guy cursed with an unwanted ability? Does that excuse his murders?
Is he a bloodthirsty deviant manipulating everyone around him to get what he wants?
Who is he? We don't know this even after the show ends.
In this context, "A Killer Paradox" constantly alludes to Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime And Punishment" and Tang's parallels to Rodion Raskolnikov, yet regrettably falls short in delving into its profound themes, merely skimming the surface without achieving a substantive exploration or meaningful reference.
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To me, the most well-written and interesting character in "A Killer Paradox" was Song Chon.
Song Chon is a dying man who is willing to put his remaining life on the line for the opportunity to meet someone who can actually take on the role of the executioner he thinks the world needs.
He doesn't have enough time, and he can never be certain about his judgment, but he thinks Lee Tang can, which is why he needs to pass the baton to him.
Imagine his disappointment when he's met with someone who is not only uninterested in true justice but is nothing special after all. He just has a bit of luck and a superhero superfan following him, covering his traces.
What was just episode after episode of Lee Tang murdering people and Jang NanGam not giving him any significant challenge that Roh Bin cannot easily get him out of only gets interesting when Song Chon appears, which is a shame given how promising Jang NanGam's arc started out in the first half of the show.
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At the end of the day, neither of the three main characters is redeemable in any way, and they were never meant to be - which is a strength of the story. What is disappointing, though, is that the drama seems to send no message whatsoever through this.
What are we supposed to take away from Lee Tang's escape and eventual resumption of unpunished murder, Jang NanGam letting Lee Tang go despite knowing how despicable of a criminal he is, or Song Chon becoming a serial killer due to his skewed sense of justice?
That violence is never the answer, and one should never take the law into one's own hands? Or that everyone is capable of something as vile as murder given the wrong circumstances? Seems not even half as ambitious as "A Killer Paradox" could have been.
Finally, the K-Drama leaves scope for season 2, and if a second season is indeed in the works, I'll just consider this season an introduction to Lee Tang and Jang NanGam in hopes of a more thrilling narrative next time.
Korean Netizens' Reaction
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Many Korean netizens on the community website FM Korea are sharing their opinions on "A Killer Paradox". The general consensus is that the actors are amazing, and the show is fun and entertaining to watch during the Seollal holidays, but only until episode 4.
The character of Roh Bin does not seem to be well-received among Korean viewers because the plot turns predictable after his appearance.
The nudity in the show was also not appreciated by Korean netizens as it felt needless.
However, almost everyone who shared their reaction to the show admitted that the director and cast did a great job.
Netizens also loved the casting of the younger version of Jang NanGam, played by Kang JeeSeok, who resembled Son SukKu strikingly.
In addition, viewers also enjoyed seeing Rex, Seon YeoOk's (Jung YiSeo) dog, who was later adopted by Jang NanGam, on their screens.
Most viewers of "A Killer Paradox" are recommending the show to others.
Conclusion: Should you watch "A Killer Paradox"?
Definitely watch "A Killer Paradox" for the phenomenal acting by Choi WooShik, Son SukKu, and Lee HeeJun and the unique direction of Lee ChangHee. It is 100% worth your time if you approach it with the aim of having fun with a new K-Drama. However, trying to derive a moral message may be where you face a block.
Watch "A Killer Paradox" on Netflix.
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