Wi Ha Joon, Ji Chang Wook and Lim Semi star in Disney+ noir crime drama series, The Worst of Evil. It is not your ordinary cat-and-mouse chase between the police and the criminals. Imagine going undercover and finding out secrets which might ruin your own future. Director Han Dong Wook’s latest masterpiece will reminisce your senses as he turned back time to the 1990s.

The Worst of Evil is loosely inspired by real solved cases of cartels in South Korea. Set in the 90’s, it featured drug smuggling cases involving neighbouring countries such as China and Japan. Director Han mentioned that set designs, fashion and even technology of that time were researched carefully to ensure that it is being portrayed effectively.

In episode two, Park Junmo (Ji Chang Wook) received a beep on his pager. He discreetly checked his voice messages from a phonebooth during a break. It was from that moment he knew that the cat was out of the bag and his wife, Yu Euijeong (Lim Semi) would be in danger with the gang leader, Jung Gi Cheul (Wi Ha Joon) .

The gang leader has seized control and began pushing a popular new drug, Gangnam Crystal in the city’s nightclubs. Ha Joon was fully immersed in his role as he tried to perfect his action sequences. The narrative behind the fight scenes was focused rather than perfecting it as a choreography. To prepare for the scene, he did shadowboxing so that it would look more natural rather than stiff on screen. Helming the role of a boss of the Gangnam gang, he lived up to the name by being more expressive, charismatic, cold headed and robot-like behaviour towards his people. Beyond the evilness, he suddenly turned sullen at the sight of Euijeong, an old flame from his past.

A ruthless officer Park Junmo was recruited into an undercover police unit and was tasked with infiltrating the gang to eliminate the infamous party drug. Playing dual roles; a husband to Euijeong as well as a loyal member of a gang, he uncovered his wife’s mysterious past with Gi Cheul and this caused them to drift apart. When asked about the uniqueness of the spy role, he replied, “The script was great, the noir content has a different mood and emotions..it weaves into the story well for the younger generation…” to appreciate.

Director Han wanted to recreate Gangnam to be chilling and realistic so he explored saturated colours with other factors in mind to create an ambience. He illustrated that the character dynamics between the leads were more focused, calling them to be expressive during action sequences rather than going into details on drugs and other gang-related crimes. Despite watching only two episodes, I was awed by the choices that will be made by Junmo. Was he solely interested in the big promotion for his career or will he part with Euijeong after finding out her past with Gi Cheul?

Catch The Worst of Evil streaming exclusively on Disney+ now!