I’m Batman!
I always thought it was interesting how Joker is able to return to the streets after Batman put him in Arkham Asylum. Of course, he did his allotted time, but did he really pay his debt to society? My question is why not give him the chair? He’s obviously unrepentant and will continue to wreak havoc. It’s like the doctor who knows the cure to the disease but refuses to prescribe the real antidote because he knows it’ll put him out of business. Not that I’m here to argue the merits of the death penalty, but it’s interesting how we pick and choose who deserves to die. Anypoops my stance on the death penalty is neither here nor there; however, it does tie into this week’s movie review. Sort of. Lol. On the chopping block is none other than The Policeman’s Lineage. Now let’s get itttttt!

The story begins in Seocho, Korea, the police district our hero,
Major Crimes Officer Choi Min Jae, played by Parasites’ Choi Woo Sik- I still hate that movie, is transferred from. Min Jae is your run-of-the-mill, do-good police officer, but he’s the son of the deceased police, Choi Dong Su. Due to the circumstances surrounding his death, Dong Su’s death is covered up, and never truly reported. Left with a huge question mark hanging over his head, Min Jae follows in his father’s footsteps despite his severe warnings. Enter the dragon: Hwang In-Ho, an Internal Affairs Section Chief, hellbent on catching Park Gang Yoon, a first-rate cop blurring the lines between good and evil.

Park Gang Yoon, in my opinion, is simply deluded or he’s trying to convince somebody he’s not a criminal. He certainly isn’t naive! He understands fully that he is, in fact, a dirty cop. Though, I often wondered what his motives were. He cares for his former superior’s son, but then attacks him when he gets in his way. Disobeying his upper management orders to drop the case knowing Na Young-Bin, our generic villain, will get away. What is he trying to prove? He’s your modern Batman except he’s broke. Lol. To fund his escapades he hits up Cha Dong Cheol-this universe’s Joker, the up-and-coming drug lord after Young Bin. To quote him, “We have to meet them to catch them. They use money to keep us far away.”

Inevitably, Gang Yoon gets caught up in his own game and is arrested, and to free his surrogate father Min Jae he makes a deal with the same devils that killed his father. In the end, our James Bond becomes a dirty cop himself. Moral of the story: If you can’t beat them, you got to get dirty with those doing the dirt.

Side note: The Policeman’s Lineage story is very reminiscent of Jo Nesbø’s The Son. Like Min Jae, Sonny Lofthus or The Son is the son a police officer with a disgraced reputation, only Sonny’s on the wrong side of the law. Long story short, both sons follow in their father’s footsteps of criminality. Highly recommend it if you’re looking for something to read.

Anypoops, I give it 3 out of 5.