Um, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Seon-kyun, and Lee Hee-joon as shady, badass figures in a merry-go-round of violence and retribution? Yes, please. I’m a big fan of noir when done right, and judging by the teaser, A Special Lady has got the stylish grit down pat. I would much rather see all three actors return to dramaland, but watching them in a project together might make up for the criminally limited time duration of films.
Kim Hye-soo (Signal), the titular Special Lady, plays the head of a criminal organization that she’s single-handedly grown into an influential player in the financial world. Perhaps she’s grown weary of the business now that she’s achieved her goals, because she is preparing to leave it all behind in search of a new beginning. In the teaser, she asks someone whether they remember what she said before: “When I say it’s over, it’s over.”
Her desire for a fresh start is lost on her right-hand man, played by Lee Seon-kyun (This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair), who sports a distinctly grim-reaper-like wardrobe. He’s the fixer of Kim Hye-soo’s company, and she wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what she has if not for his unflinching willingness to do the dirty work. He also appears loyal, saying, “If you ask me to bark, I’ll bark,” but who knows whether that’ll change once his boss wants to leave him behind.
Lee Hee-joon (Legend of the Blue Sea) will play a rising star prosecutor pushed into a corner by Kim Hye-soo, who has somehow come into possession of his weakness. I love how badass Kim Hye-soo looks when she lays out her cards, saying, “This isn’t a pitch or a negotiation. This is a threat.” Forced to bend to her will, the prosecutor will manipulate Lee Seon-kyun to carry out his revenge, in what looks like a very bloody fashion.
I’m not usually one for blood and gore, but every once in awhile, I can definitely enjoy some all-out, unapologetic action-thriller mayhem. On top of that, we have Kim Hye-soo as a badass mob boss, Lee Seon-kyun as merciless muscle, and Lee Hee-joon as a prosecutor with a vendetta. What’s not to love? A Special Lady will premiere on November 9.
