The writer's ill-conceived whodunnit from the early episodes ruins everything. It comes to an absolutely idiotic resolution and the last two or three episodes are far out there. I feel generous giving it a 5/10.
Some plot ideas get regurgitated so much that dialogue bits are copy-pasted as well.
The more Game of Thrones-y elements feel like they've been thrown in for pure shock value.
The OST variety is sub-par; the camerawork / direction / acting are fairly so-so. Every time I have excessively high hopes for a drama, they're crushed bitterly.
The WORLD is a MIRROR if you spit on it it will spit back at you and if you smile it will definitely smile back at you. ~ Shin-Hyun/Doc's Son Hyungnim
There is no dearth of heart in the HEARTLESS CITY. I wish everyone in this world who feels being cheated by the WORLD and the SYSTEM would hear these worlds.
I'm almost speechless when it comes to this drama, that is how good it actually is. Usually I'm a fan of the romantic/comedy type mixed with fate/supernatural/thriller as supplements but for some reason I watched this and oh WOW! It is just pure amazing. Although there is no dearth of emotions and intimacy this is not a romance or melodrama.
Writing for this series remained consistent and strong throughout, even maintaining good pace. Characters rarely failed to behave in an intelligent manner. The much-lauded, flooring twists are just as crazy as you've heard (and better yet, even supported by prior evidence in the story). What is most impressive to me though, is that the script remains faithful to itself and the spirit of the genre. We are shown a seedy, pessimistic world which is…well, cruel. Potential viewer expectation aside, this kind of darkness is what we were promised from the first and delivered at the last.
There is no filtering the truth here, no flowery feeling that K-dramas usually give. This drama is dark & brutally real. You know how there are usually some politics/not interesting subplot in dramas that you just want to skip, well this one doesn't have that. The story is flawless and well balanced, there is no stupid mistake, no plot hole, nothing that made me flinch for a second.
What I love about this drama is that it doesn't tell you everything; it gives you enough information and leaves you to be the judge. I'm not talking about one scene or one episode, but rather throughout the entire drama. It never tries to make its audience feel in a certain way ... it just tells you the facts and leaves it up to you to interpret it and to understand the characters/story.
The characters are complex and well developed. They are not perfect little imaginary people; they are real with depth and dimensions. Their pasts and their hopes for future enable us to understand their present and their actions. There aren't any filler characters, no one that you feel he's just there to fill the space/time/episode. Every one of them serves a purpose, and adds something to the story.
Nearly every lead was dynamic, from Shi Hyun and Hyung Min to Jin Sook and Safari. Even the hardcore villains had strokes of complexity which made most more than mustache-twirling monsters. These grounding factors may not cease our hatred of them, but at least add some level of understanding. Yoon Soo Min likely is the weakest link of the main cast, her arc included; she needed a bit more weight to contend on equal footing with the other plot lines. The completion of her journey manages to be satisfying nonetheless.
Jung Kyung Ho shines brilliantly as both star and main draw of Cruel City. Decadent charisma pours from him in droves, lending his Doctor’s Son an impossibly fierce magnetism. The most compelling action sequences belonged to Kyung Ho also;
This drama was also very kind to Lee Jae Yoon, whose slowly developing Hyung Min I gradually gained affection for. He portrays the team leader as smart, sympathetic, and steady -- with a shot of menace to prevent him being a boring goody-two-shoes.
Honorable mentions go to Kim Yoo Mi and Yoon Hyun Min; their respective characters Jin Sook and Hyun Soo are over the top cool and attractive. To say I became deeply invested in the fate of both of them is an understatement.
Chemistry between all of them was really nice, the bro-chemistry, the family-chemistry and the love-chemistry. No sloppy violence.
The Bromance Award goes to Soo & Doc
The Sismance Award goes to Unnie & Soo-min
The Family Award goes award to SafariAhjussi-Unnie-Doc ; initially i felt DirectorMin was better than Safari but my sixth sense was clinging me to Safari Ahjussi ::crying_cat_face:
The choice of music in this drama is phenomenal! I loved all the musics that were used specially the OST, I mean even the music makes me think deeply!!
“Love is dead”, according to me is one of Cruel City’s most recognizable themes: Kim Young Jin’s “Wound” . My love for the music will never die, though. It is stirring and atmospheric, always well-utilized in show. Even instrumental tracks are memorable, though the rare vocal was always delicious.
Cruel City is like a good wine, the more time passes from watching it, the more you realize how amazing it truly is. It is a drama that makes its audience ponder upon life, good, evil and the gray between them. I'm sure I will watch this again and again and for this it gets 10 for rewatchability from me.
I have started the K-Drama genre after Pandemic and I though I finished all good one and its been a while I have felt the fail of each and every character and give 10/10 . This gives me energy to watch more crappy K-Dramas until i find another gem ; I though have to admit i did skip lot of scenes and rush to the ending this is due to bad habits i picked watching mediocre shows. I would request to not skip any frames and invest time on the show even if you want to binge to enjoy it fully. I will definitely re-watch this show soon.....
Remember the WORLD is a MIRROR
Shout by raya (mango)BlockedParent2015-09-01T05:49:37Z
"what do you MEAN they don't live happily ever after?!" if I don't pretend the last five minutes didn't happen I'm going to live out the next week in a lot of pain, so ¯_(ツ)_/¯ all in all: outstanding & worth the watch (especially for a korean crime drama, imo). I appreciated the darker, grittier tone---it was the first thing I fell for, but the actors put on superb performances. (LOVED the friendship between kyung ho & hyun min here. it can't complete w/ their at-odds characters from falling for innocence.)
the romance, however, is too underdeveloped. I personally would have liked to have seen it written differently or excluded altogether, but the script remains fairly solid otherwise. ...uh, with the exception that---at a certain point---events turn predicable. in that sense, heartless city would've benefited had it been more character-driven, although a fair amount of this (&plot) pushes the show forward. so, really, I think there's more to praise than complain about...
...except the emotional turmoil episode 20 placed on my heart. that hurts. that hurts a lot.