‘A Killer Paradox’ Netflix Series Review - Not All Heroes Wear Capes

With his hair covering his forehead and sad, lonely eyes, Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik) looks less like a superhero and more like a heartbroken lover. Yet, this human comes with superhuman capabilities. No, he does not shoot webs out of his hands. No, he does not fly in the air. He has what you could call a sixth sense. With a mere touch, he can discern whether a person is good or bad. Of course, Tang initially thinks he is blessed with good luck. He kills a man who turns out to be a serial killer. He then kills a "blind" girl, and the police discover that she was responsible for the death of her parents. In other words, these two individuals deserved punishment. Tang doesn't have any idea about the history of these characters before hitting them with a hammer. Thus, he concludes his luck is incredible. Oh yes, let's not forget that an insect sits on the CCTV camera, and a dog licks all the evidence - these acts save Tang from the law's grasp.

It's Roh Bin (Kim Yo-han), a computer geek who recognizes Tang's potential and teams up with him to fight for justice. Although his name may remind you of a certain superhero from the DC universe, there's a twist. This Roh Bin wears a hoodie with the Batman logo, and his parents also died during a robbery when he was a child. Like Nick Fury, an American spy, Roh Bin recruits heroes to save the world from evil. This character isn't as physically strong as either Fury or Batman. Instead, he is soft and chubby, like a teddy bear. He doesn't look like the kind of man who could have a secret room packed with a lot of evidence as well as blades and hammers. Not all heroes wear capes or an eye patch.

The mission in A Killer Paradox has nothing to do with protecting the planet from aliens. The villains here are rapists, sinful teenagers, corrupt officers, dishonest lovers. Not all of them meet their maker through Tang. Some of the targets are dispatched by Song Chon (Lee Hee-joon). He is what you would call a supervillain. He is big and brawny and ruthless. With five bullets and the great strength of his muscles, Song Chon defeats a gang of thugs. He has one of those smiles that makes you feel as if his head is messed up. Here is a man who really makes you believe he is almost untouchable. Just observe how Song Chon dodges every attack. When seen in slow motion, you get the impression that his superpower is that, like Flash, he is quick in his responses.

Speaking of slow motion, director Lee Chang-hee - like Zack Snyder - overuses this stylistic choice to the point of tedium. At first, this technique makes the scenes appear like comic book panels with exaggerated images. But the magic gradually wears off, and you wonder if all these slow-motion shots are simply used to stretch the runtime of the show. Some of the flashbacks, like the one that shows us how two teenagers were murdered and how a girl killed her parents, also give you a similar sentiment. These flashbacks just repeat what we already know. Hence, they feel pointless. Was it necessary to make this an almost eight-hour-long show? A shorter version of it might have been much sharper and better.

The main issue with most of these long shows is that they don't always know how to keep the audiences invested. A Killer Paradox has an inconsistent momentum. There are stretches that increase your attention; there are stretches that leave you enervated. The latter, unfortunately, is present in slightly more quantities than the former. You constantly move in and out of A Killer Paradox. Some scenes merely went past me without leaving any dent. They slipped away from my mind as soon as they were over. So, I don't remember if an explanation was provided for Tang's superpowers.

The nonlinear structure is engaging and exhausting in equal measure. It doesn't always flame your curiosity regarding ongoing events. Still, it serves as a nice trick to keep things interesting as well as a bit unpredictable. But it's the fetishistic match cuts along with the sudden, almost comical zoom-ins and outs that imbue A Killer Paradox with a sense of energy and excitement. It's during these moments that you are able to experience the giddiness of the creators. I liked how a female co-worker was not used as Tang's romantic partner. I also liked how the character who harms her gets his punishment - first through a diagnosis, then through someone's hands. In A Killer Paradox, vigilantes punish the criminals, but that doesn't mean the police department is riddled with lazy bums. It's just that the officers are slow and bound by the rules of the law. Of course, corruption exists on both sides. Bad men walk among the good ones. However, as long as there are villains, there will also be heroes who will destroy the evil legally or through illegal channels.

Final Score- [5.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times