The Drug King
2018 · Movie · 139 min · ★ 6.3 · 78% critics
In 1970s Busan, a small-time smuggler gets pulled into the drug trade after helping a gang move meth. Driven by ambition and street smarts, he climbs the criminal ladder while keeping up a respectable public image, balancing community influence by day with dangerous underworld power at night.
Where to watch
Streaming on Netflix.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- 마약왕
- Years
- 2018
- Release date
- 2018-12-19
- Language
- Korean
- Runtime
- 139 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 78/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.3/10 (161 votes)
About
If you enjoy Korean crime sagas about ambition, power, and living two lives, this should hit the spot, especially if you liked Inside Men or The King; Not for you if you want light, uplifting stories.
Pros: gritty crime rise; tense double life; 1970s atmosphere | Cons: bleak subject matter; heavy criminal focus; morally dark lead
Themes
- drug dealer
- drug abuse
- drug trafficking
- 1970s
- yakuza
- based on true story
- osaka, japan
- police corruption
- drug lord
- political corruption
- 1980s
- busan, south korea
- +1 more
Cast & crew
Song Kang-ho
as Lee Doo-sam
Cho Jung-seok
as Kim In-goo
Bae Doona
as Kim Jeong-ah
Kim So-jin
as Seong Sook-kyeong
Kim Dae-myung
as Lee Doo-hwan
Lee Sung-min
as Seo Sang-hoon
Lee Hee-jun
as Choi Jin-pil
Jo Woo-jin
as Jo Seong-gang
Yoon Je-moon
as Kim Soon-pyeong
Song Young-chang
as UN Ambassador
Directed by Woo Min-ho