Officer Black Belt review: Is the Netflix Korean film worth watching?

The latest Netflix Korean film Officer Black Belt, starring Kim Woo-bin, was released on September 13, 2024. The story centers on Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin), a fair-minded individual who enjoys hobbies like online gaming and physical sports.

Directed by Jason Kim, known for directing Midnight Runners, the new Netflix release is an action-thriller with a hint of comedy. The film addresses the subject of how parole officers put their lives on the line to protect society when criminals charged with s*xual assaults, pedophiles, and more are released from prisons.

Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin) is a sincere son who helps his father (actor Lee Hae-young) in his chicken restaurant and comes across an ex-convict assaulting a parole officer. Lee Jung-do prevents the officer, Cho Min-jo, from getting stabbed and saves his life by knocking down the criminal. However, since Officer Cho Min-jo incurred several injuries, he was hospitalized.

Impressed by Jung-do's physical strength and agility, the parole team head Kim Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun) offers him a temporary job as a parole officer. He works for five weeks till Officer Cho Mo-jin returns. Though the results are fervently enjoyable within their well-molded confines, the action-packed scenes never break away or threaten the film's main message.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this series' review belong solely to the author.

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Kim Woo-bin returns to the big screens with an action-packed film with a deep message in Officer Black Belt

Officer Black Belt starts off by giving a glimpse of Lee Jung-do's wholesome life with a close-knit pack of friends, a supporting and doting father, and his aunt. After he spends five weeks working as a substitute parole officer, Jung-do permanently signs up for the job.

The parole department keeps an eye on s*x offenders, murderers, and other dangerous criminals via an electronic ankle monitor after they are granted parole. The probation officers must step in for support and safety should the criminals stray too far from home or forget to charge their ankle monitors.

Lee Jung-do's statement by the end of the film is a call way close to home, where he said,

"Three months ago, I didn’t know anything about this job. Now I know too much. How can I not do anything?"

It is a reminder of the helplessness we feel when we see crimes happening all around us and not being able to help. It is also a wake-up call about how the majority of us wouldn't even be aware of an ankle monitor or how it works.

Meanwhile, the job of a parole officer is hardly sufficient at first to keep Jung-do interested. However, as he handcuffs more offenders, his feeling of responsibility strengthens and becomes ingrained in his moral compass. Once again, director Jason Kim beautifully builds friendships among the unlikeliest of people, as he had done in Bloodhounds and Midnight Runners.

The probation police team head Kim Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun) and Lee Jung-do's unlikely friendship at a samgyeopsal (pork barbecue) restaurant, along with Jung-do's three best friends, was wholesome. It reminded us of the scene from the Netflix K-drama Bloodhounds, where Kim Geon-woo (Lee Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) become friends at a samgyeopsal restaurant.

But things get far more serious in Officer Black Belt, when a known pedophile, Jang Ki-jun, is released from prison after 20 years. Immediately, the convict shows no indications of regret or repentance and targets his next victim, a 10-year-old girl.

Unfortunately, Officer Cho Min-jo dies painfully while trying to save Kim Sun-min. In contrast, every formerly incarcerated person who is released back into society is portrayed as a vicious pest who is eager to retaliate at any chance.

Officer Black Belt expertly balances comedy and action, always hitting the right note, but there's never much depth. Even when altercations turn violent at the last minute. Unabashedly supporting law enforcement, Officer Black Belt portrays each officer as honorable.

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If director Jason Kim opted to provide a little more room for interpretation in his story, Officer Black Belt may have transcended beyond being tagged a "mainstream cinema." It's disappointing to see the plot take a conventional action-thriller turn after witnessing Jung-do's newfound sense of purpose emerge. However, for fans of Kim Woo-bin, it is worth a watch.

Officer Black Belt is available on Netflix for global streaming.