The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil · reception & legacy
2019 · Lee Won-tae
How The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
A Cannes 2019 Midnight Screening premiere and a solid hit in Korea, it's since settled in as a staple of the Ma Dong-seok fan canon — the film people point to when explaining why the internet adores Don Lee.
What's debated
The recurring fan debate: is it a genuinely great thriller or a formulaic one that Ma Dong-seok's sheer charisma (and fists) single-handedly elevates?
Its footprint
Its high-concept hook — a gangster and a cop teaming up to catch a serial killer — became shorthand for the pitch-perfect Korean genre movie, and Ma Dong-seok's immovable, suit-wearing crime boss is endlessly gif'd and memed as peak Don Lee.
Where it stands
A beloved entry in the late-2010s Korean genre-thriller wave and essential viewing in the Ma Dong-seok cult canon, more fan favourite than critics' pick.