A Shop for Killers

A Shop for Killers is a Korean action series based on the book of the same name written by Kang Ji-Young. The title of the show and book both have slight variations depending on what language it's translated to, but the gist of it stays true. At the core is a place where killers, spys, and the cleaners that clear things up when the first two groups are done can get their gear. The fight for control over this shop is driving factor of the show and it plays out over gun fights, explosions, and gadgets which are all brilliantly choreographed. Each character plays to their strengths in this exchange which was fascinating to see play out.

While the fight over the shop is what the plot revolves around, the characters themselves are guide the direction it's driven. The show opens up with a literal bang as the main character Jeong Jian played Kim Hye-Jun is cornered in her house by a sniper. We see her recall a lesson her uncle Jeong Jinman taught her which helps her eventually get her hands on her own sniper rifle. It fires and that's where we are tossed into the past.

The show does bounce back and forth throughout most of the run. Sometimes going back fourteen years to other times just five minutes before the first scene. The bulk of these flashbacks are how Jeong Jinman came to be the primary care for his niece and how he started the titular shop for killers. This is where we see many of the killers trying to take out Jeong Jian came into the picture. It isn't just a random battle for the shop, but a rivalry born in the past between mercenaries. While many questions do get answered, there are many they leave dangling. The very end of the season in facts creates possibly the biggest question of all. It was a moment that truly shocked me which is pretty difficult to do with how much media I have consumed.

Jeong Jinman's actor, Lee Dong-Wook deserves a shoutout. While seemingly playing a character who is the very definition of stoic, Lee eventually brings out many sides of Jeong Jinman. He absolutely shines in the role. The lessons her passes down to Jian, his own action sequences, and the awkwardness of a mercenary trying to raise a child all show a deeper character than the stoic gunman that Jeong Jinman first seems to be.