'The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (2019)' tells the apparently true story of a maverick cop who teams up with a brutal gang leader to track down an indiscriminate, psychopathic serial killer. The premise is pretty strong, but the execution leaves something to be desired. That's not because the piece is bad, which it isn't, but because it simply doesn't live up to its potential. Put plainly, it's good but not great. Although it has some strong violence and features a few stand-out moments of brutality, it generally feels too glossy for its own good. There just isn't all that much grit here, an issue which is exemplified by an uneven tone and some really out-of-touch music choices. The movie also sails past its logical end-point and ends on an awkwardly elongated denouement, a segment which ought to have either been trimmed or given the time it needed to have a proper impact. Of course, its issues don't stop it from being a generally entertaining experience. It's engaging throughout and it features a few good action sequences. Ma Dong-Seok is also a strong screen presence who outshines pretty much all his co-stars. Overall, it's a solid crime-thriller that just falls short of the promise of its premise. 6/10.
