Netflix’s latest Korean series, A Killer Paradox, is now streaming. An accidental serial killer is engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase with a shrewd detective.
Choi Woo-shik, the winner of the SAG Award, portrays an adolescent student who is struggling to find direction in his life. He finds himself caught between his desire to participate in a work-abroad program in Canada and his responsibilities towards his family.
To support his family, Tang works the 4-10 shift at a convenience store. One night, two drunk men come in; one seems annoying & rude and disrespectfully orders him to bring food outside the store. The other is a kind man justifying his friend’s behaviour towards him. Later, while walking back to his flat, he finds the same rude man sleeping on the streets, and he tries to help by informing the kind man about his friend, who asks him not to bother and mind his own business and suddenly, the kinder man starts slapping Tang.
The slapping triggers flashbacks from Tang’s school days when he and his best friend suffered from bullying and never fought back, but this time, he decides to fight back and ends up hitting the man with a hammer on his temple. The incident raises an ordinary man into an accidental serial killer. At the homicide scene, he finds two drunk men walking toward him and a blind woman walking with her pet, but it seems like he manages not to grab anyone’s attention and runs off.
Tang’s covered in guilt of his doing when he learns that the man he murdered wasn’t a good guy who was a serial killer himself. The suspicious disappearance of the hammer from the crime scene, which he dropped there, gave him another chance to cover his action and move on. But the story takes a turn, and it seems like the blind woman spotted earlier was not actually blind. She tries blackmailing him with the evidence she stole from the killing ground and demands money.
Another blood stains his hand, and this time, it isn’t any more accidental but intentionally murdering the pretentious blind woman. Again, he runs off, and another deep guilt consumes him, though this time, he decides to accept his fate inside the bars. But the future has some other plans for him when he soon discovers that the blind woman is a serial killer herself. At this point, he realises he has been granted the unique power of only shedding the blood of people who ‘deserve to die’. This mistake continues, and intelligent detective Nan-gam misses the assailant and stays one step below every time.
Is it worth streaming?
A Killer Paradox is highly recommended if you’re a fan of Batman and Dexter. As they continue, the episodes in the series tend to hold a lot of suspense and are much more entertaining and exciting with every passing episode. In addition, it’s the best show that doesn’t have a clear or consistent thematic throughline. It is worth streaming.
The transition from the ordinary man to the serial killer has been smoothly showcased. Watching his fortune favouring alongside the protagonist is much more interesting, keeping him from being locked out of jail. The series only consists of 8 episodes, making it short, And it still manages to deliver its plot at the point.
Talking about the action, Choi Woo-shik, as the protagonist and Son Suk-ku, as a detective, have amused me with their acting skills throughout the series. Apart from him, all the other side cast did their job excellently as actors. Lee Chang-hee’s directional service is appreciatable and the series totally justifies the budget that credits to the producers, including Jung Soo-jin alongside Kim Soon-ho Kim Ji-yeon.
Watch the Official Trailer A Killer Paradox: