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Disney+ K-drama Low Life: crime caper superbly brings 1970s Korea to life
Ryu Seung-ryong and Yang Se-jong play petty crooks in search of sunken treasure in a show that looks great but spends too long stuck at port
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Lead cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, Lim Soo-jung, Kim Eui-song
This summer, Disney+ invites viewers to dive into its splashy new crime series Low Life, featuring Ryu Seung-ryong (Moving) and Yang Se-jong (Doona!) as an uncle and nephew team trying to get into the illicit business of excavating national artefacts off the Korean coast.
The first thing that jumps out while watching this jaunty caper is its sterling production value, which brings 1970s Korea to life through evocative period detail in a story that flits between the cluttered streets of Seoul and the sun-drenched harbour of Mokpo on Korea’s southern coast.
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Based on the comic Pa-in (“dug out”) by webtoon artist Yoon Tae-ho, whose works have previously been adapted into films such as Inside Men and Moss, this tale of wily criminals calls to mind several recent films and shows set in the recent past about men leaving their homes in search of riches.
Among those earlier works are Netflix’s Narco-Saints and Disney+’s Big Bet, the latter of which shares another connection with Low Life in director Kang Yoon-sung. While those series focused on Korean men travelling overseas, here everyone stays on home ground.
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