A Shop for Killers Review: I Wanted To Like It
⭐ Rating: 5.5/10
📅 Year: 2024
🎭 Genre: Crime / Mystery
⏳ Episodes: 8
✅ What Worked: Great action, plenty of mystery, authentic human moments
❌ What Didnt: Mystery dragged out too long, little emotional connection between characters, confusing storytelling, and too many things that didn’t add up.
👀 Worth Watching? I’m torn, but I’d say yes if you love mystery and have the patience for it.
I just finished Season 1 of A Shop for Killers, and I am sort of at a loss for words, which usually doesn’t happen when I’m ready to write a review. I can’t decide whether that’s because I hated this drama or because I want more of it. I’m still trying to figure that out, but what I do know is that I will watch Season 2. Take from that what you will.
This drama was confusing, extremely frustrating at times, but it kept me going. If you haven’t watched it yet, this is where you should stop reading as I am about to do a deep dive.
I downloaded this on my phone to watch during my 45-minute subway ride to work, since I usually get really tired when I come home. Big mistake. I started watching it at 7 AM and nearly jumped out of my seat at the gunshot in the opening scene. So, I decided to continue watching during my lunch break instead.
Ji-an is the first character who intrigued me. Who is she? That question kept me going, even though I had little faith here. I never trust K-dramas that open with a glimpse of what’s ahead. It always feels like they don’t trust viewers to find the story interesting enough to watch chronologically, so they have to shove the action in our faces first. Almost like when there’s mold on the cheese at the store, so they turn it around to show you the best side first so you don’t notice the rot.
Now back to the beginning, to the possible rot...
Poor Ji-an gets a phone call from the police: “Don’t be alarmed. Your uncle is dead.” What kind of a phone call is that? Don’t they visit your home first for this kind of thing? Moving through this episode, I seriously wish we would get more information about what the hell is going on. I keep feeling like there’s a big hole, and I’m not sure what I’m watching.
By the way, has anybody noticed that the uncle’s house is in this weird, almost deserty area? I’ve never seen anything like that before in a K-drama. It doesn’t even look like Korea.
Prediction: The uncle didn’t die. Obviously. Maybe he wants to teach her some kind of lesson about survival? Super boring. Sorry, I’m being cynical because I find myself so annoyed with this show.
Ep. 2: Okay, who’s the deaf hottie? Dead... hottie now? Oh wait, he’s not deaf because he heard her riddle! Stable Tennis. That’s funny. I wonder if it has the same wordplay in Korean as it does in English.
And wow, I sort of love this episode. You really feel Ji-an’s fear. One moment she’s in the hospital and it’s light, with people all around her, and then suddenly she wakes up completely alone in the dark. It actually made me remember being a kid who was deeply afraid of the dark and waking up alone at night after falling asleep earlier, when just before I had been surrounded by people. I recognized her fear because I experienced that feeling myself, and I haven’t thought about it in years. Wow.
Also, what’s the deal with the scars on the cheeks of the dead people? Some kind of mark from the gang?
And wow, just like Ji-an, I completely forgot someone was at the door. Those memories took both her and me away from the present. Pretty amazing storytelling there, or more specifically, authentic human moments that don’t always appear in K-dramas.
Now we’re getting into this computer system where they’re talking about Code Green, Code Red, etc. If she’s Code Green, isn’t everybody supposed to protect her? All the users on the site? So why are people after her? Also, Bae Jeong-min doesn’t feel trustworthy. I don’t know at this point what I’m even watching.
What? So now we’ve learned that her uncle killed himself? I feel like I’m not really giving a deep dive anymore, more like asking a thousand questions. I really don’t think he killed himself. It’s very fishy. And why is everyone so bent out of shape over that weapons warehouse? I keep hoping there’s a big reveal coming that will explain everything, but... I doubt it.
That’s so much madness. For five episodes straight, I feel like we’re basically watching nothing. I know I’m using a lot of analogies today, but I feel like I’m staring at static on a 90s television because I might as well be.
So far, a lot of the acting hasn’t amazed me, I have to be honest. Even though Lee Dong-wook is one of my favorite actors in the K-drama world, he doesn’t seem to show much emotion here. Death, mayhem, and sweet moments don’t feel any different on him. I did, however, enjoy him in Episode 6, where he did some under-eye action (16 minutes, 1 second), if you want to go back and see it. And the few-second knife fight with Bale is pretty killer. I’ll post a clip below.
Episode 7 brings some interesting moments, but the one that truly caught my attention was the mom telling her son that she’d had a good life and, with a smile, saying she was ready to go. I had watched a video just 30 minutes earlier on the subway about how the people who live the happiest lives are often the ones who live simply, have wonderful relationships and family, and surround themselves with lots of friends. I immediately connected it to that moment.
Oh, and the hottie is back as we’re seeing the past with new eyes! How do they know all these languages? Mandarin, sign language, probably more...
Aw, so the shopping mall was the hottie’s idea. Is that where he lives? The desert area? Am I spacing out? It didn’t look like it. Why is his brother hiding there in the space where the mall was being built?
Now they’re showing us the backstory, or really, what we already watched but with more information. So strange, and what a waste of time. It really would have been more interesting chronologically. Killing the mom is pretty brutal... the whole family, really. That was pretty horrific to watch, but not the least bit surprising, which seems to be a continuing theme with this show.
I don’t think I was shocked or surprised once, and this is supposed to be a thriller mystery? I know the ratings for this show are so good, but maybe that includes Season 2.
Now, finally, Episode 8. This is the one I’m excited for because we’re finally going to get that intense confrontation with Bale, right?
....
...
....
No.
No.
NOTHING MAKES SENSE!!!!
I finished the whole thing and absolutely nothing makes sense!! Firstly, no Bale! And why would the uncle's death trigger all this madness? And if it would trigger it, why would he not tell his niece about it? Also, it's just a damn weapons factory! What's the big fuss that all these mercenaries are going crazy over it, ready to die? Makes ZERO sense. I kinda hate this show... Why assign a person? So many other questions. Why did everybody have trackers?
Also, what kills the logic the most is WHY would the uncle even sell weapons to those who A. killed his family and B. nearly killed him? Makes zero sense!
The only positive is the nice fake-out from Ji-an with the dead bodies and the new fighters, pretending she's super dangerous and they're all about to die, but other than that!
No! I officially hate this show, but... I can't help but want to watch Season 2 just to finish it. I will be watching it in the coming week and will post a review. Maybe, hopefully, a better one based on what I hear about that season?
🔥 Why You Should Watch
Great action and fight scenes
Plenty of mystery to keep you guessing
Some surprisingly authentic human moments
Ji-an is an intriguing character from the start
Clever moments that genuinely caught me off guard
A quick 8-episode watch
👎 What Might Not Work For Everyone
The mystery is dragged out for far too long
Very little emotional connection between many of the characters
The non-chronological storytelling can become frustrating
Some reveals feel predictable rather than shocking
Major character decisions and plot points don’t always add up
You may finish with more questions than answers
❤️ Final Verdict
Okay... final verdict. What can I say? I didn’t enjoy this show. I was annoyed pretty much the entire time. There were no real surprises and no big mystery that actually got solved. A big weapons warehouse? Okay? What’s the big deal? Honestly, I enjoyed seeing all the fancy weapons the mercenaries were using, including that weird robot dog thing and the drones, more than I cared about the guns inside the warehouse. I wish we had seen more of the hottie too. He was a more intriguing character to me than almost everyone else. Other than that, I’ll see you on the upside after Season 2. Would I recommend this? I don’t know. I’d say watch it for yourself and make up your own mind.
Let me know your thoughts!
Acting: 4/5
Storyline: 2.5/5
Cinematography: 4/5
Overall Entertainment Value: 2.5/5
I rate it 5.5/10 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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