Kim Sung-kyun and Lee Hee-jun play thugs in ‘Karma.’
There are murders and bodies galore in the k-drama crime thriller Karma and there are also plenty of ironic plot twists and turns. One body inventively get recycled for a second crime.
In the opening episode Park Jae-young, played by Lee Hee-jun (Blood Free, A Killer Paradox), arrives at an emergency room as the victim of a fire that looks a lot like arson. Jae-young wound up becoming a burn victim because he’s the kind of low-life thug who would kill his own father for the insurance money.
Only he makes a big mistake when he hires a member of a notorious gang, played by Kim Sung-kyun (The Fiery Priest, Moving), to do his dirty work. There really is no honor among thugs. Jae-young pays dearly for his mistake, but perhaps not as dearly as he might deserve.
Shin Min-a plays a doctor in ‘Karma.’
So, is it karma that the doctor who saves his life is Lee Ju-yeon, played by Shin Min-a (No Gain No Love, Our Blues), a woman Jae-young brutally abused decades before. Jae-young has survived threats by vicious loan sharks and gangsters, but he may be powerless to escape justice at her hands. Shin Min-a delivers a raw performance as the tortured doctor who is haunted by her nightmare past.
The story ties together the karma of these characters with that of the mysterious witness played by Park Hae-soo (Squid Game II, Money Heist II). He witnesses an incident that involves Han Sung-hun, played by Lee Kwang-soo (Divorce Insurance, The Killer’s Shopping List).
Sung-hun is a traditional doctor, who is driving home with his lover, played by Gong Seung-yeon ( The First Responders, Bulgasal: Immortal Soul) when he accidentally hits and kills someone. Or so it seems. He can’t report the incident because he’s been drinking.
Lee Kwang-soo and Gong Sung-yeon play lovers in ‘Karma.’
Sung-hun and the witness make a deal, but it doesn’t end well for one of them. Although there are plenty of detours in the plot of this often darkly comic thriller and several great performances, the conversations between Park’s eerily deadpan witness and Lee’s sleazy doctor character are a riveting highlight.
There are so many villainous characters in this drama, viewers may wonder how karma can deliver a fair share of retribution. It’s hard to stop watching—and wondering—as the crimes continue to pile up. The six episode drama is based on the web comic Akyeon by Choi Hee-Sun, which was published on Kakao. It was adapted and directed by Lee Il-hyeong, who previously directed the films Remember and A Violent Prosecutor.
Karma airs on Netflix.
