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Son Suk-ku in a still from Korean crime drama Big Bet, which stars Choi Min-sik of Oldboy fame.

Review | Disney+ K-drama review: Big Bet – Oldboy’s Choi Min-sik, Netflix star Son Suk-ku carry meandering crime drama

  • The Korean crime drama dips back and forth in time for four episodes before finally settling into the show’s main narrative, which may test viewers’ patience
  • Choi’s central performance is worth watching through the frustration – as is the stellar Son Suk-ku, who turns up at the tail end of the fifth episode

3/5 stars

Good things come to those who wait, but if that wait drags on for too long then there is no telling who will stick around.

Disney+’s sprawling crime drama Big Bet focuses on Korean entrepreneurs and gangsters betting big on casinos in the Philippines, but the biggest gamble the show takes is on how far its audience’s patience will stretch.

The story chronicles the rise and eventual fall of flinty entrepreneur Cha Moo-sik, played by celebrated Oldboy actor Choi Min-sik. Moo-sik’s background and steady rise is depicted in exacting detail, but that journey is a chronological zigzag punctuated by wigs that unconvincingly de-age its characters.

Big Bet begins with Moo-sik being apprehended for a murder charge in the Philippines in the near present, before jumping back to his childhood in Korea. It proceeds to skip between his childhood, early adulthood and later career as a bigwig in the Philippines.

There is little cohesion between all these threads and even less harmony as the show cuts between them. But Big Bet sticks to its guns, keeping up this seesawing gambit for four full episodes before finally settling into the show’s main narrative, starting in 2010, which should eventually lead us to the series’ cold open.

Big Bet: Choi Min-sik crime saga on Disney+ a gamble that’s yet to pay out

The appearance of this linear narrative is a relief, as is the absence of wigs as the characters’ ages have caught up with the actors portraying them. Also hugely beneficial is the appearance of My Liberation Notes actor Son Suk-ku at the tail end of the fifth episode.

Despite arriving so late, Son gets second billing on the show, in which he plays Oh Seung-hoon, a Korean detective assigned to the Philippines, where he is tasked with monitoring the illegal activities of Korean expats. This puts him on a collision course with Moo-sik before long.

Seung-hoon arrives with little fanfare and does not draw much attention from his new colleagues and superiors at first, but Son’s shifty charisma shines through straight away.

Choi Min-sik (left) and Lee Dong-hwi in a still from Big Bet.

Unlike most Korean male protagonists, Seung-hoon does not need to act big to make an impact. There is intelligence and steely confidence in his eyes, which are constantly scanning their surroundings and mark him out as a threat.

It does not hurt that Son’s English is impeccable, unlike most of his colleagues, who struggle with the multilingual demands of the script.

Then again, Son and his character are younger than the grizzled Korean expats he has to go up against. The way he communicates and blends into his surroundings is indicative of a more cosmopolitan generation rising in the country.

Son Suk-ku in a still from Big Bet.

Contrast that with the old-fashioned Moo-sik, who rules over the expat crime underworld with time-honoured Korean tactics – networking and heavy drinking.

Moo-sik works his way up the local political ladder by buying lots of important people breakfast in a hotel buffet. In another scene, Moo-sik gets the upper hand when he visits his boss’ delinquent but intimidating debtor by downing an entire bottle of whisky in front of him in a single swig.

Moo-sik and Seung-hoon, hailing from different generations, are both effective in their own ways and while they cross paths this season, they have yet to go head-to-head. That eventual match-up promises to be eventful when it materialises in season two.

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Beyond Choi and Son, Big Bet has an exceptionally broad cast, filled with major actors dipping in for an episode or two as colourful characters who get entangled in different aspects of Moo-sik’s business.

One of the more memorable of these side characters is Ko Young-hee, played by veteran actress Lee Hye-young (Mother), a billionaire make-up company founder who becomes one of Moo-sik’s most extravagant high rollers.

It is strongly suggested that Young-hee is bisexual and she openly flirts with the attractive young members of Moo-sik’s entourage, which, given her huge wealth, leaves her exposed to a dangerous element.

Heo Sung-tae in a still from Big Bet.
Another face who has had a strong impact despite brief screen time is Squid Game actor Heo Sung-tae, who plays the vicious thug Seo Tae-sook. Tae-sook arrives in the Philippines with a recommendation from one of Moo-sik’s friends from Korea. Moo-sik brings him in but is immediately wary of this combustible new presence.

Tae-sook rises without any further help from Moo-sik – and so does his temper, as he growls and blows up in every scene he appears in. All signs point to Tae-sook being a major antagonist in season two.

The show makes room for a lot of other great character actors as well, like Heo’s Squid Game co-star Kim Joo-ryung and Oh Dal-su, but does not always know what to do with them, which gives the story an indulgent and meandering tone that it occasionally struggles to break out of.

(From left) Son Suk-ku, Lee Dong-hwi and Choi Min-sik in a still from Big Bet.

There are a smattering of good set pieces, including a kinetic street chase involving Seung-hoon, while others feel at odds with the jaunty style of this crime drama, such as a stylised hit on a Chinese crime boss in a bathroom.

Even when the show does not work, Choi’s central performance is worth watching. His charisma carries the character, whose larger-than-life presence would not exist without him.

Season two of Big Bet will debut on Disney+ on February 15.

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