[HanCinema's Drama Review] "My Name" Episode 4

So the Dongcheon Gang was just humiliated by the Kang-jae gang. I have to say, as far as punishments go, Moo-jin really didn't do a very good job with Kang-jae. Most guys who get kicked out of a gang for insubordination don't just go and make their own better gang. Really, I'd say Moo-jin isn't managing the Dongcheon Gang very well in general- especially when we learn that Tae-joo, his chief associate, has his own motivations.

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There's a lot of masculine interaction this episode, all of which mostly just amounts to them being rude and uncooperative with each other. The English dub, which is not very good at all, emphasizes the sameness of their motivations. I'm glad I at least tried to listen to it, though, since it made me appreciate the nuances of the Korean performances that much more. Park Hee-soon as the uncommunicative mob boss, for example, comes off as unintentionally cryptic in a way that doesn't inspire confidence.

Elsewhere, Kim Sang-ho as the murderous detective feels like he's going to snap at any minute, despite seeming like an oaf in general. Chang Ryul is just on drugs, like all the time, laughing inappropriately at things that aren't funny. And Ahn Bo-hyun has that weird energy that makes it genuinely tough to tell whether he's trying to awkwardly ask the leading lady out on a date or expose a contradiction in her cover story.

Speaking of the leading lady, Han So-hee...still doesn't really do very much acting, although she does get another working out montage. I find it funny that Ji-woo is trying to be helpful to Moo-jin but is increasingly unsure of what he wants to do or why. I also kind of forgot what her real name was, since the dialog goes out of its way to keep referring to her as Hye-jin. This was a surprisingly tiring episode in general, with so little happening for such long stretches I started to feel drowsy.

But not to worry. There's another big fight at the end, with plenty more of that stylish gangster fight choreography that keeps people coming back for more. "My Name" has actually improved slightly in the international Netflix leaderboard since my last review. It's currently in third place, slowly but steadily building an audience with worldwide action fans. And occasional snark aside, "My Name" is good enough at its core competency I can definitely see the appeal.

Review by William Schwartz

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"My Name" is directed by Kim Jin-min-I, written by Kim Ba-da, and features Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Kim Sang-ho, Ahn Bo-hyun, Lee Hak-joo, Chang Ryul. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/10/15, Fri on Netflix.