What Is the Story About?
Chief Detective 1958 follows the iconic cop from the iconic South Korean drama of the 80s – Chief Inspector. The show depicts crime investigations back in the early 50s-60s when Park Yeong-han was a young cop. Despite being centered around Yeonh-han and his pursuit of justice in corrupted Seoul, the show also follows an unlikely team of three detectives that join him to solve crimes through sense, smartness, wit, tenacity and insight
Performances?
Chief Detective 1958 kicks it off roaringly with a stunning cameo from actor Choi Bol-am who played Inspector Park in the original iconic series of the 80s as a retired present day Park Yeong-han. The veteran actor makes it all the more intriguing and interesting with his presence in the show.
Lee Je-hoon plays young Park Yeong-han and present day grandson of detective (double roles). He is immensely charming, suave and exudes wit and comic timing. The actor effectively takes on the baton to portray the iconic cop and undoubtedly has delivered in the pilot episodes.
Lee Dong-hwi’s Mad Dog aka Kim Sang-sun is another appreciable character and portrayal. As an angry and reactive cop nick-named as ‘mad dog’, the character is bound to have some great moments with Detective Park in coming episodes as they come together as a team. Choi Woo-sung plays Jo Gyeong-hwan, a street vendor and skilled fighter who would also be an addition worth watching the show for.
Analysis
When one of South Korea’s most iconic shows that ran for almost 2 decades is getting a prequel, based on the most iconic cop character, it’s bound to be a show that would blow the charts off and rightly so. South Korea’s latest offering ‘Chief Detective 1958’ is a prequel to Chief Inspector (1971-1989) and follows detective Park Yeong-han during his Seoul days in the 60s.
Written by Kim Young-shin and directed by Kim Sung-hoon, the show stars Signal and Made in Heaven fame Lee Jee-hoon as the protagonist detective Park. The show begins off to an old and retired detective (played by OG Choi Baol-am in original series too) visiting his grand-son in the police station. The grand-son who is also a detective (also played by Lee Jee-hoon) gleefully greets his grand-father. Looking at an old photograph that features him and few others, he reminisces his old days as a detective in Seoul in the late 50s.
The show cuts back to a retro setting in interior South Korea, where a young and famous Detective Park catches hold of cow-thieves as his last assignment. He gets a transfer to Seoul and now has to battle corruption and crime in the big city mugged by gangsters and criminals.
As someone who uses his presence of mind, wit and wisdom to solve crimes, Park has to now navigate unknown terrains in an unfamiliar place that has crimes of evend kind happening. Despite being successful at his first official assignment in Seoul, underlying corruption in the system throws him into a pit of failure.
Park forms a team for himself (a group of unlikely detectives with the only objective of a corrupt-free society) and the team evolves to be the most iconic investigative team in Seoul. Without any further spoilers, Chief Detective 1958 follows how Park finds similar minded colleagues in his mission and moulds himself into a ray of justice for the people.
Besides already existing hype and premise, Chief Detective 1958 starts on an extraordinary note. To keep up with the legacy of a show that ran for two decades and do justice to the titular role is no mean feat. The show not only has a power-packed cast, but also has a solid technical team that does promising job from production design, costumes, camera to writing and direction.
Chief Detective 1958 doesn’t completely to the genre limitations of the original show. It’s a drama and also has strong humour that makes it all the more entertaining to watch. The journey of a diligent yet rookie cop to being the foundation stone of an iconic crime investigation team during the times where CCTVs and technological innovations were absent is something to witness and we can’t really wait for the upcoming episodes.
Already soaring with stellar record-breaking ratings, if Chief Detective 1958 maintains the totality as is and follows interesting cases, it is for sure to transcend as a show that lives up to its predecessor’s legacy. For now, the show is definitely worth the hype and undeniably enticing.
Music and Other Departments?
Kim Woo-geun’s music (especially credits) for Chief Detective 1958 transports the viewer to retro 60s with the choice of beats and rhythm. The score diligently aids the setting and premise of the show – a well curated amalgamation of humour and seriousness. Kim Hyung-suk and Yang Hee-jin’s camera work for the show however is exceptional. The colour palette and framing choices are delightful. One can only expect the visuals to be even better in the coming episodes.
Highlights?
– Retro premise
Cast
Production Design
– Humour
Drawbacks?
– Nothing much so far
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes.
Chief Detective 1958 Review by Binged Bureau
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