Money Heist Korea Joint Economic Area Review: The Money Heist adaptation has a local heart with a universal soul. It is a forceful ode to the Spanish Netflix series, with brilliant performances and new plot twists.
In one of the episodes of Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, the professor welcomes Seon Woojin to a restaurant called 'Café Bella Ciao'. This intermittent reference to the original Spanish-language show is poignant and also serves as a reminder that the original series set a benchmark that will be hard to match.
Creator: Álex Pina
Stars: Lee Si-woo, Eugene Ko, Yoo Ji-tae
Before tuning in, I had exactly the same concern: Will the Korean version be as good as the Spanish one? We knew this was going to be familiar territory and I'm happy to report that the novelty of the concept managed to keep me on the edge of my seat for six hours of Money Heist Korea. Thanks to the writers for understanding the extreme expectations they had to meet. They don't kneel under pressure, but instead keep their own perspective at the forefront.
So when Jun Jong-seo, aka Tokio, a former North Korean soldier opens the show, dancing to BTS's song DNA, he realizes that even though the Korean Peninsula is still the only nation divided in the world, it is still united by the boy band. .
The basic structure of the show remains the same: that of a mastermind professor who assembles a group of petty criminals to carry out his meticulous plan for the biggest heist in Korean history. But unlike the Spanish series that highlighted themes like government oppression and economic freedom, this one is set in the near future around the upcoming unified Korea and the repercussions the common man faces due to the same. They point to a mint located in an area similar to the real-life Joint Security Area, a part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) or Truce Village, where all diplomatic negotiations between North and South Korea take place.
The new version borrows its characters from the original, but with varied backstories. This makes the new version all the more impactful as everyone brings their local flavor. It's like they have the same DNA as their Spanish twins, but they are different individuals. In the Spanish, Denver had a characteristic burst of laughter, but here he has a saturi accent. And both interpretations are unique.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area is all Korean, from its colors to its geography and ideologies. Dalí's masks give way to Hahoe's masks. It is not old wine in a new bottle, but rather a standalone piece. The brilliance with which its writers introduce sociopolitical debates into the story is its USP.
Tying down an all-star cast is half the battle won by Money Heist: Korea. Picking an actor and praising him can be very difficult. Yoo Ji-tae as Professor is almost perfect, even if he doesn't move his glasses as Álvaro Morte, he adjusts them as if allowing his alter ego to come into play immediately, even during a touchy moment with Woojin.
Kim Yunjin as the leader of the crisis negotiation team, Seon Woojin, seems powerful, and we're glad he played Itziar Ituño's Raquel Murillo with the same aplomb. Tokyo is hot and thunderous, Nairobi is the calming force, Denver with an emotional core brings a respite, and Rio, the spoiled rich brat is the brains. The show has several romantic clues, but the way this show builds sexual tension between the characters is very different from what we've seen before.
The scene stealer, however, is Berlin. Of Squid Game fame, Park Hae-soo goes all out, being the immensely unpredictable anti-hero. He is dark and feared, much more so than Pedro Alonso. He is exceptional, to say the least.
Money Heist Korea is packed with dozens of new plot twists. From dramatic confrontations between the robbers and the police to the hostage crisis and a policeman infiltrating inside the mint, it's fresh and exciting.
Watch Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area 2022 Tv Series Trailer
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