Earlier this year, Han So-Hee starred in the K-drama Nevertheless, where she played a college girl trapped in a turbulent relationship, confused about life and love. However, the recent Netflix releases My Name, So-Hee makes you forget that she was once the young, delicate student from the previous show.
The eight-episode action-packed crime noir drama is unsurprisingly brutal and often predictable. The writing, however, remains a consistent pace, which perfectly suits the demands of the genre, and packs a punch.
To avenge her father's death, Yoon Ji-Woo (So-Hee) joins the Dongcheon crime syndicate led by Choi Mu-Jin (Park Hee-Soon) and later changes her identity and reports to the police. . It's a simple enough story, and the focus remains on Ji-Woo's obsession for revenge, so much so that we can hardly dwell on anything else. The show moves quickly between fights, drugs, deaths, and big reveals.
This works, and sometimes My Name gets undone, as it leads to the show remaining one-note throughout. What little sunlight the darkly lit crime drama has is through Jeon Pil-Do (a very likable Ahn Bo-Hyun) a narcotic homicide detective who becomes So-Hee's partner. There is a telling scene where he honestly tells Ji-Woo that it is important that people have hobbies in their work. Nothing could have summed up Ji-Woo's revenge-driven life better.
Meanwhile, while Hee-so as the grim, menacing Dongcheon boss is an imposing presence, it's Chang Ru-Yul as rival drug syndicate head Do Gang-Jae who is truly terrifying.
The show does try to question whether the bloody path to revenge is all worth it, but it comes quite late in the story. We're left here with more questions as it all comes to an end because the late discourse on the morals the show tries to delve into just isn't enough to impress.
In an earlier interview, My Name director Kim Jin-Min had said that while revenge is a male-dominated theme, he thought it would be exciting to see a female character on her journey to death. to avenge her father.
He's certainly in the right place there; So-Hee is the star of this revenge drama, and you'll feel the urge to sign up for self-defense or martial arts class when you watch her go as she deftly takes down hefty henchmen twice her size. She also consciously goes beyond just a formidable presence in some beautifully choreographed action sequences, remaining convincingly gruff and emotionless the entire time.
The release of My Name comes close on the heels of Netflix's recent smash hit Squid Game and both K-dramas are now global successes. The show on the surface may be a simple, straightforward revenge saga, but is one that takes advantage of its protagonist and some superlative action sequences. Sometimes just staying loyal to the genre works well, if done the right way.
The Netflix K-drama on the surface may be a simple, straightforward revenge saga, but is one that takes advantage of the protagonist and some superlative action sequences
- Director: Kim Jin-min
- No. of episodes: 8
- Cast: Han So-Hee, Ahn Bo-Hyun, Park Hee-Soon
- Plot: To avenge the death of her father, a woman joins the police force and attempts to unmask his killer
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