Good Boy first Impression: Don't be fooled by ‘Pouty' Park Bo Gum, he's delivering career-best punches

Indian Express

04-06-2025

When Park Bo Gum pitched Kim So Hyun a project years ago, he probably knew Good Boy would be their perfect screen comeback, an action-comedy loaded with fistfights, marking his post-military return. With heavy hitters like Lee Sang Yi, Heo Sung Tae, and Oh Jung Se on board, expectations were high after When Life Gives You Tangerines, where Bo Gum's brief role still made him the talk of the town. After watching two episodes of Good Boy, it's clear this K-drama isn't trying to please everyone, especially those used to the actor's lover-boy image. The show has sparked mixed reactions, from grumbling about convoluted plots to complaints about a shaky, slow start. But here's why I think it's worth sticking around for.
Surprisingly, Sim Na Yeon's directorial doesn't quite follow the synopsis teased during promotions. Given her past hits like The Good Bad Mother and Moment at Eighteen, playing it safe was never on the table. With such a cast, a run-of-the-mill drama would've been a major disappointment, and thankfully, this isn't one of those. The story follows former national athletes Yoon Dong Joo, Ji Ha Na, Kim Jong Hyun, Go Man Sik, and Shin Jae Hong, who join the police force through a special recruitment policy. Some chose this path; others, like our lead Park Bo Gum's Dong Joo, a former boxing gold medalist falsely accused of using banned substances, were pushed into it. Together, they are on a journey to showcase their athletic skills to work against criminals while dealing with judgmental colleagues, corrupt officials, and a relentless fight to serve justice where it was denied. There's a love triangle, initially seeming like a one-on-one between Ji Ha Na and Dong Joo, but it turns out Ji Ha Na is the reason why her former flame, Jong Hyun, joined the force. So, our hero is about to juggle one more problem: a rival who's just as skilled, and just as handsome.
Also read: Park Bo Gum made a request to Kim So Hyun years ago: 'Remember this when the time comes'; the story behind Good Boy casting
It's a feel-good ride to see Bo Gum, who debuted nearly 15 years ago in thrillers like Blind, later delivered action-comedy punches in Runway Cop, Hard Day, Bridal Mask and before casually slipping into his soft-boy era, now return to his action roots right at the peak of his career. His character in Good Boy is getting the side-eye, partly thanks to his recent hit overshadowing things a bit. Audiences are struggling to digest the comedic start, thinking maybe funny just isn't his thing. Fair. But action lands. And since Good Boy sticks to elements of crime, sports, romance, and good old friendship drama, Bo Gum fits right in. Maybe comedy isn't his strongest suit, but the way he throws a punch with grin, taking down 15 goons in one go (felt excessive though) with a chiseled physique carved like it's seen hours at the gym, it's hard to remember this is the same guy who played Gwan Sik, the soft-spoken husband from Tangerines with eyes dripped in love.
Also read: Good Boy: After When Life Gives You Tangerines, Park Bo-gum returns as police officer tasked with taking down a crime syndicate
Kim So Hyun as Ji Ha Na was solid enough to convince us that Bo Gum's casting instincts were spot on. Honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone else pulling off the role of a sharp-shooting athlete with that kind of finesse. Her character's bold and straight-up, so we're not exactly counting on a 12-episode hand-hold or the classic 16-episode kiss. What stings a little is seeing Lee Sang Yi stuck in a supporting role when his grounded acting easily deserves lead status. Oh Jung Se popped up in the final ten minutes, but the way the tone shifted, you can already tell the story's heading somewhere darker.
Despite a slow, stretched-out start that makes you want to hit pause and choose a nap over the movie-length premiere, the pace thankfully picks up not long after. You can feel the Western influence creeping in, from moodier visuals to the cinematic undertones, that's a shift from the usual K-drama aesthetic. That said, the thousand-cuts-per-minute camera was a pain to watch. The comedy lands in parts, but the over-the-top goofiness inside the police station could've been toned down.
Good Boy might have gone a bit overboard trying to juggle every genre it could find, and while the individual performances are solid, it's the chemistry between them that's lacking. Park Bo Gum and Heo Sung Tae's mentor-protégé bond feels forced at times. And Bo Gum's behaviour around Kim So Hyun's character is borderline obsessive, unnecessarily pouty, and just… meh. But just when you're about to roll your eyes, the show throws in a moment, like Shin Jae Jong flinging a sewer lid like it's the Olympics again, or Han Na nailing a headshot mid-chaos. MAX's OST sneaks in at the right time and lifts the mood. There's still more to come from the rest of the squad. The Prime video original isn't here to race anyone, it's here to take its own lane. Let's see if it holds that ground in Episode 3.