The revenge thriller soaked in Netflix blood is John Wick’s unofficial spin-off that we have always wanted

In recent decades, South Korea has published a variety of exceptional thrillers iNTO The world film and television scene. Bong Joon-Ho‘s History masterpiece Parasite And Hwang Dong-Hkukinternational phenomenon Calmar game The two are linked to the international public by their incisive gaze on the evils of capitalism. Chan-Wook Parkdevastating Oldboy And Kim Jee-Woon‘s I saw the devil Take the public and the protagonists in dark places. Jung Byung-Gil‘s The man from nowhere is exceptional, while Na Hong-Jinhorrible Moans is one of the best supernatural horror films of our time.
Many of these projects mix flawless looks on human wickedness, visceral action, surprising twists and turns and high production value to create some of the most observable and judicious thrillers we have seen. In Mercy for peopleSo Ji-Seob is powerfully playing an emotional juggernaut on a revenge campaign. A part requires a suspension of disbelief, but it is A gravelly, full and winding thriller Who satisfies the itching to see hundreds of gangsters yeets in a room by a very sad man.
What is “mercy for anyone” is talking about?
Eleven years before the events of Mercy for peopleLegendary gangster NamConnection-SEOB) has long abandoned a life of crime (cutting his Achilles tendon to do so). When his younger brother, Nam Ki-Seok (Lee Jun-Hyuk), is caught in ambush and killed, Ki-jun comes out of retirement to track down people and direct To find out who killed his brother and why. He puts himself in the reticle of a certain number of criminal organizations as he travels the opposition, even face to face with the young heir to the raging crowd Koo Jun-Mo (Gong Myoung) and its apparently endless supply of thugs. It turns into very unexpected directions such as betrayals, secret plans and the consequences of revenge are revealed.
Ji-Seob therefore gives a strong performance as a graying protagonist Nam Ki-Jun. He is certainly a character who does more with actions than words, but Ji-Seob emotions well, traveling obstacles and bodies with obvious sadness adapted to a loss of character. He also manages capable of action choreography, his fight in natural combat with expert efficiency. The series presents some distinct sociopaths which are played with Flair, including Gong Myoung as heir Koo Jun-Mo. A kil-kang And Heo Jun-Ho Also represent dressed in dual gang heads in the face of a vulnerable truce.
Many projects are trying to be John Wick-esque these days, but Mercy for people actually deserves the title. The criminal “returned ultra-violent sculpts a path through the gangland” is clear from episode 1, but the main style differences distinguish projects. Avoid weapons OldboyThe signature corridor hammer fought that for WickGun-fu poli. The combat sequences are visceral, bloody and intense, while Ji-Seob evokes his inner Michael Myers and regulates dozens of enemies at the same time. It is not always plausible (sometimes he strikes a man, and they fly irrationally), but it’s really fun to look.
Related
The 25 best Korean thriller movies that will leave you unstable
Prepare to be disturbed.
If you want a bloody action thriller with Flair, look no more than “mercy for none”
There are minor bodies that could be obtained with Mercy for people. He does not deeply plunge into the interiority of Nam Ki-Jun or other major characters. Ki-Jun is often silent and perpetually vaguely sad, and we rarely get a deeper meaning of any character beyond dangerous motives like revenge or ambition. You just have to accept that things happen and leave it there. That said, Mercy for people War his action sequences soaked in blood and tracing sufficiently surprising to remain engaging, alongside a solid set of central performance which elevates the Dubare characterization.
It’s hard to describe Mercy for people in a way that does not look like a John Wick The scam, but it looks at the tropes of the South Korean thrillers to raise a differently simple revenge story. So Ji-Seob is great as the mourning protagonist but deadlyWhile supported players give personality to sometimes underdeveloped characters. It is a simple series which knows exactly what it is – an exploration of the way the bodies are cashable – and on this score, it offers in a continuously entertaining way. The bones crack, the bodies fly and the blood stains the walls of many bad guys. Part of the characterization could be richer, the details could make more sense, and the physics of particular action scenes is sometimes suspicious, but it is nevertheless a series of well -executed thriller.

Mercy for people
Fans of heavy South Korean thrillers cannot miss Mercy for none.
- Release date
-
June 6, 2025
- Network
-
Netflix
- Thus, Ji-Sub is great as a violent protagonist in mourning, anchoring the character and winning the action sequences.
- The series maintains the high energy melee flair that the best South Korean thrillers have, with a stellar combat choreography.
- The story is complex enough to keep the story fresh and surprising.
- Some characters could be written with greater depth, or specific layout threads developed more.