'My Name' Review
Netflix’s second smash hit out of Korea, My Name, is a thrilling tale of revenge from a different perspective. The series is divided into eight 45-50 minute episodes directed by Jin-Min Kim and written by Ba-da Kim. The plot goes as follows: After witnessing her father’s death,Yoon Ji-Woo (played by Han So-Hee) drops out of school, joins the Dongcheon crime syndicate that her father used to run with, infiltrates the police force, and embarks on a journey of revenge filled with drugs, death, and betrayal.
Jin-Min Kim’s direction creates a beautifully dark, neon soaked environment riddled with seedy people all looking for complete control of the city. From slow motion close ups to wide angle fast paced fight scenes, the audience is thrust into this bleak and gritty world. Kim perfectly captures the fight sequences allowing us to see everything and avoid the common failure of getting lost in the motions. Yeun Woo-ping’s choreography seems less like martial arts and more like an epic ballet-like sequence. Violent, brutal, and poetic Woo-ping is able to depict the evolution of Ji-Woo’s pain through these fight sequences. The series is familiar at times but the lead performance and action sequences will make you stay until the end and leave wanting to learn how she does it.
In regard to the writing, although predictable at times, Ba-da Kim does an excellent job at maintaining a rhythmic pace and hitting all of the tropes set forth by the crime noir genre. Kim’s protagonist is what steals the show. So-Hee’s transformation from a 17 year old innocent school girl to a morally ambiguous, 22 year old badass anti-hero with a personal vendetta is inspirational and compelling. Although she is able to best almost anyone that crosses her path, in the end she is a person devoid of anything but revenge (common characteristic found in the people who occupy this genre.) My Name makes So-Hee face the devastating truth that once revenge is removed from the equation, she is nothing more than a hollow shell of a person left even more broken after succeeding in her quest. The rest of the characters are well developed and the audience walks away from the experience caring about their outcomes. The dialogue is strong, and avoids becoming the usual tool for heavy exposition. As the plot progresses the characters' conversations flow smoothly, helping the series to reach its end.
Overall, My Name doesn’t say anything particularly new about the crime noir genre as a whole, but does that matter? Sometimes the surface level, straightforward revenge plot can still be successful if there is solid execution, strong characters and compelling action sequences and this is definitely an example of that. Due to its success it would not be surprising for the program to receive a second season. However, with the ending wrapped up nicely the new avenues for the series to explore are up in the air.
