Taxi Driver Is Brutal And Bloody, But Also Wholesome

Taxi Driver is an action thriller staring Lee Jehoon and Esom. The drama focuses on a special Taxi company which will help you take revenge on someone who has wronged you but keeps escaping the law.

Lee Jehoon was discharged from the military and told himself, “I have to save the K-drama industry.” I swear to god this man is working hard. We got two dramas from him so far this year and now I have a not so small crush on the man and a desperate need for another new drama with him. (Stay tuned for my Move to Heaven review ;)). Funny story, I initially didn’t want to watch Taxi Driver, I was just mid watching Vincenzo and wasn’t in the mood for yet another dark drama in my life, but one of my friends did some serious convincing and I caught up on the first four episodes in one night. Help, I lost the fight to resist after the first episode and completely gave in. I never regretted my choice, Taxi Driver did not disappoint! Let’s get into the review.

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Taxi Driver synopsis via AsianWiki: Kim Do-Ki (Lee Jehoon) graduated from the Naval Academy and became an UDT (underwater demolition team) Official. His mother was murdered by a serial killer and his life changed afterwards. Kim Do-Ki is now a deluxe taxi driver and works for Rainbow Taxi Company. The company is not just an ordinary taxi company. The company offers a special “revenge-call” service. If clients ask them to take revenge, Kim Do-Ki and his co-workers will perform the service.

What a drama premise, huh? It was certainly much more violent than I expected it to be. I mean I had read that some, if not all, episodes would be rated 19 but damn it was rather bloody. Jehoon is kind of insane for how many of the fight scenes he did himself (let’s ignore the awfully casted stunt double we sometimes saw). But yeah, Taxi Driver isn’t for the faint of heart. So if you are looking for fluff you will not find it here, there is no romance in this drama (an instant win in my book) and it is far from fluffy.

While being really violent Taxi Driver still has its soft and funny moments. Korean writers always do a great job mixing seriousness with humor and I think this is why I enjoy some K-Drama’s so much. This one was serious but also had so many wholesome moments. Taxi Driver was well rounded, even if the original writer left the show half way through. I really wonder what their plan was and what made them leave their drama behind. Mhmm…

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Anyhow, besides a fantastic script and really well-rounded character, which showed a lot of growth, Taxi Driver tackled some really serious topics. Some of the cases even used real life cases as a base, which is horrible if you think about stuff like this actually happening. Also I do not think violence is the answer but sometimes the law fails you and you just wish you could just take revenge Taxi Driver style. The drama hopefully opened some people’s eyes to what is going on in the world.

As for the characters Doki was probably, like everyone else’s, my favorite character on the show. Hana was really annoying most of the time and I feel like the new writer was the only one starting to somehow use her character. That death (I shall not name) broke my heart though, but I see how it was necessary for the story. Overall, the characters were really well written and had a decent amount of development. Their interplay was also amazing and the taxi crew was everything to me. I love me a good friendship driven drama, even if it’s violent.

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As for the end I thought it was cheesy (in a thriller drama kind of way) but pretty good, if not unrealistic. It gives us the chance though for a second season of Taxi Driver, which I would not say no to. I think there is a lot more to explore and Doki is dearly missed. If you are in need of a new thriller after Mouse or even Vincenzo, Taxi Driver is the drama for you! (Might as well note that half of the episodes are under an hour long like hello? Bingeable and suspenseful, sign me up!)

Also a quick shoutout to Jehoon again before I let you go, he is kind of insane for how many different roles he played in this drama, this man might be small but he is a fantastic actor. Where is his Emmy or Oscar?

P.S: I was liking Taxi Driver so much I put off watching the last two eps for a week because I didn’t want it to end. That should tell you all you need to know about how much I liked it.

Header Image Source: Viki.com