The Roundup

"The Beast Cop Is Back!"

2022 1h 46m KO

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 471

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The 'Beast Cop' Ma Seok-do heads to a foreign country to extradite a suspect, but soon after his arrival, he discovers additional murder cases and hears about a vicious killer who has been committing crimes against tourists for several years.

“The Beast Cop Is Back!”

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Cast

Don Lee
Ma Seok-do
Son Suk-ku
Kang Hae-sang
Choi Gwi-hwa
Jeon Il-man
Park Ji-hwan
Jang I-soo
Heo Dong-won
Oh Dong-gyun
Ha Jun
Kang Hong-seok
Jeong Jae-kwang
Kim Sang-hoon
Nam Moon-chul
Choi Chun-baek

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lee Sang-yong
Writers: Lee Yoon-ho, Kim Min-sung
Languages: English, Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $101M — a 13.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Roundup Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lee Sang-yong, shot by Ju Sung-lim. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kim Tae-seong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Sun-min shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Don Lee and Son Suk-ku and Choi Gwi-hwa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lee Sang-yong directs. Ju Sung-lim behind the camera. Kim Tae-seong scores. Kim Sun-min cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in English, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $101M — a 13.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.
4Part of the "The Roundup Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Lee Sang-yong, shot by Ju Sung-lim. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Kim Tae-seong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kim Sun-min shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Don Lee and Son Suk-ku and Choi Gwi-hwa carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The Beast Cop Is Back!".
10IMDB entry: tt15838850 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "vietnam", "police", "gangster", "detective".
12Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ju Sung-lim
Original score: Kim Tae-seong
Editing: Kim Sun-min
Production design: Bang Gil-sung
Costume design: Nam Ji-soo
Makeup / hair: Nam Ji-soo
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,600,000
Box office: $101,166,707
Return: 1331% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Roundup (2022)

Part of

The Roundup Collection

The Roundup is a South Korean crime action film series, starring Ma Dong-seok in the lead role. Each film follows the story of Detective Ma Seok-do hunting down vicious criminals.

Also by

Lee Sang-yong

The Roundup: No Way Out
2023 · ★ 7.2

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Chris Sawin2022-07-20
★ 10/10
Since The Roundup is a South Korean film, it feels like it’s able to break away from whatever expectations you may have for an American made action blockbuster. It may be an action and a crime film, but it also adds elements of drama and is borderline horror at times with how extreme some of the action sequences are. Don Lee has undeniable magnetic charisma and is overflowing with unbelievable talent. He’s a certified, bone-breaking megastar. The Roundup is a savagely captivating action extravaganza with lightning fast action and brilliant performances. Full review: https://hubpages.com/entertainment/Fantasia-The-Roundup-Review
MovieGuys2022-08-14
★ 8/10
South Korea is rapidly developing something of a reputation for quality action crime dramas. The Roundup, the latest of a series of gritty crime dramas is yet another success story. Based around a simple formula, they pit the worst of organised criminals against a no nonsense hard man Korean copper and his team. Of course, we know the outcome but the ride is well worth taking, nonetheless. I did find this latest film a little slow at first but it picks up pace in the second half, delivering no shortage of thrills and violence with a simple but functional, back story. Indeed, these films, seem to have filled the space previously occupied by 80's US franchises like the Lethal Weapon series and Death Wish. They have a similarly violent feel, in fact they are a lot more violent and bloody, which may rule out some viewers. The characters like their earlier western counterparts are well rendered and inherently likeable. Chemistry between the cop team is positive and well round, with a splash of humour to lighten the load. So if you are despairing the loss of the kind of gritty US crime cop action flicks, you recall from "back in the day", give South Korean films like this one a go. You wont be disappointed.