# Bad Guys (2014)

> A suspended detective recruits a gangster, a serial killer and a contract killer into a police task force to combat rising violent crime.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54966

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 11
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, action, drama
- Network: OCN
- Cast: Kim Sang-joong, Park Hae-jin, Don Lee, Kang Ye-won, Cho Dong-hyuk, Hwang Seung-eon, Kim Tae-hun, Kwon Hae-sung
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3914520/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: gritty, tense, propulsive, rough, darkly comic

## What critics say

Audiences rated this Korean crime action series positively, praising its ensemble of morally compromised criminals working under a suspended detective.

## Synopsis

Bad Guys (2014) is a South Korean crime drama series created for OCN, a cable network known for its genre-driven originals. Suspended detective Oh Goo Tak (Kim Sang-joong), who was pulled off the force for using excessive force, is tasked by the Police Chief with assembling a unit from criminals to combat a surge in violent crime. He recruits gangster Park Woong-cheol (Don Lee), the brilliant young serial killer Lee Jung-moon (Park Hae-jin) and contract killer Jung Tae-soo (Cho Dong-hyuk). Police Inspector Yoo Mi-young (Kang Ye-won) is assigned to manage them, and she must handle the volatile group both rationally and emotionally to make them function as a team. The engine of the show is distrust: each episode pairs the squad with a dangerous case while the members' loyalties and pasts keep threatening to pull the operation apart. The single season of eleven hour-long episodes is a self-contained run with a tight, serialized through-line. Set in contemporary South Korea, its tone is gritty, tense and propulsive, with a blunt, rough-justice sensibility. Fans of Sleepers, Hard Boiled and Tazza will find resonance in its hard-edged mix of violence, moral ambiguity and unlikely camaraderie.

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