Narco-Saints (2022)

The name Suriname will be unfamiliar to many. The starting point of this drama is a real case: a Korean drug lord disguised as a pastor actually operated in this small country in northeastern South America. Directed by Yoon Jong-bin, with Ha Jung-woo and Hwang Jung-min in the leads, this is a six-episode Netflix drama. It is clearly attempting to push past the limits of conventional Korean drama in terms of production budget and location scale, and the international scope — shot in Suriname, the Dominican Republic, and Spain — is impressive.

What it’s about — An undercover sting on a drug lord posing as a pastor

Kang In-gu (Ha Jung-woo) is an ordinary Korean businessman operating in Suriname. When he accidentally becomes entangled in the drug organization of Jeon Yo-hwan (Hwang Jung-min), South Korea’s National Intelligence Service approaches him and asks for his cooperation in arresting Jeon. The core of the drama is Kang’s undercover operation to get close to Jeon — who runs a drug empire while posing as a pastor. It is a fiction based on real events, with dramatization added.

Direction — Exotic pressure created by tropical locations

Director Yoon Jong-bin makes active use of Suriname’s tropical environment. The dense jungle, riverside slums, and local market scenes add an exotic tension to the drama. The series follows the structure of an infiltration thriller, and the pressure that tightens whenever In-gu is suspected is well expressed. The scenes where Jeon Yo-hwan and Kang In-gu come face to face are particularly gripping — tension is hidden in every line of dialogue, every expression. The density of action scenes is not high, but the few scenes where situations explode are sufficiently intense.

Performance & characters — Hwang Jung-min on the edge of madness

Hwang Jung-min’s Jeon Yo-hwan is the reason to watch this drama. A villain who speaks in religious language and believes himself to be an instrument of God — the concentration of Hwang Jung-min’s performance walking the line between a madness that may or may not be sincere is extraordinary. Ha Jung-woo naturally conveys the process of an ordinary person being pushed to extremes. The scenes where the energy of these two actors collides are the drama’s highlights. Park Hae-soo and Yoo Yeon-seok and other supporting cast also clearly execute their respective roles.

What the work says — Evil rationalized in the name of God

Narco-Saints uses this strange true-crime case — the fusion of religion and crime — to speak about humanity’s capacity for self-justification. What makes Jeon Yo-hwan frightening is not that he is a pure villain, but that he genuinely believes himself to be fulfilling the will of God. The drama also poses uncomfortable questions about the relationship between state institutions and individuals, and about the structure that sacrifices individuals in the name of justice.

Ratings & reception

IMDb gives it 7.3 — a solid score. It immediately topped Korean drama charts upon Netflix release, and generated active responses internationally centered on Hwang Jung-min’s performance. Multiple domestic and international outlets named Hwang Jung-min’s villain performance one of the best of 2022. TMDB scores remain in the 7-point range.

What falls short

Within the six-episode structure, there is a sense of the story being somewhat hastily wrapped up toward the end. Though it is based on a true story, some plot developments feel contrived during the dramatization process. As a thriller focused more on genre construction than on the specific operational realism of an infiltration mission, viewers expecting documentary-level authenticity may be somewhat disappointed.

Verdict

Narco-Saints is a drama that once again confirms the prodigious power of Hwang Jung-min as an actor. The pull of its strange true-crime setting, the unfamiliar backdrop of a tropical country, and the energy of two lead actors combine to make six hours pass quickly. The series is worth watching for the scenes featuring Hwang Jung-min alone. Above all, the fact that it actually happened makes itself felt more powerfully once the drama ends. Knowing that Hwang Jung-min’s Jeon Yo-hwan is modeled on the real person Jeon Yo-hwan makes the drama’s strange scenes look different. Rating: ★4.0.

Recommended for

• Viewers who want to experience Hwang Jung-min’s villain performance
• Fans of true-crime thrillers
• Anyone interested in Korean dramas set abroad