The biography of the man who became a 'casino legend' has been completed. The truth about the Korean murder case and the other desires of those surrounding the incident are also revealed.
Last month, Season 1 of 'Casino' concluded with 8 episodes. 'Casino' is a work that depicts what happens after Cha Mu-sik (Choi Min-sik), who was born into a poor family, becomes a casino legend in the Philippines after many twists and turns.
Season 2 of 'Casino', which started on the 15th, also consists of 8 episodes. Season 1 depicted Cha Mu-sik's life story in detail until he became a casino legend. Cha Mu-sik is a character who has a quick mind and is good at persuasion since childhood. He also has a lot of guts. Even when others are nervous, they respond boldly and instead embarrass others. His father is a criminal and a drug addict, and his mother is a person who believes that it is only natural to sacrifice and devote herself to her family even though she is beaten by her father. Cha Mu-sik, who lived in a single room due to difficult family circumstances, was a self-made man. He learns English with an extraordinary mind and makes the casino bar prosper with his excellent business skills. On the one hand, Cha Moo-sik's exploits of the gap between legal and illegal laws are obnoxious, but on the other hand, they are clever enough to be admirable.
There was also criticism that it felt long-winded because the biography of Cha Mu-sik was depicted in detail during Part 8 of Season 1. However, the build-up for Season 2 was solid. The starting point of Season 2 is the murder case of Chairman Min (played by Kim Hong-pa). This is a scene shown in the first episode of Season 1. Chairman Min is the person who reached out to Cha Moo-sik, asking him to work with him when he lost everything. Cha Mu-sik is framed as the suspect who killed Chairman Min. Although we've reached season 2, it feels like it's been stretched out in that there hasn't been much progress in the plot. However, suspenseful incidents occur in each episode, and these incidents lead to a story where Cha Mu-sik falls into the abyss after becoming a suspect in Chairman Min's murder case. This is why I look forward to the dramatic developments in the second half. It's difficult to watch once, but once you watch it, you can't stop watching 'Casino' until the end.
No one can match Choi Min-sik's sly acting. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a character frenzy, with each character's unique personality being revealed in Season 2. Unlike season 1, there are characters who bring out their hidden desires. They make the story more dynamic. They include Cha Min-sik's right-hand man Yang Jeong-pal (played by Lee Dong-hwi), who has become the 'fox owner of an oyster without a tiger', and Korean restaurant owner Jin Young-hee (played by Kim Joo-ryeong), who emerges as a new threat to Cha Min-sik. Son Seok-gu, who plays Korean Desk Oh Seung-hoon, is still not active until the beginning of season 2. This is because Oh Seung-hoon continues to be portrayed as passive and frustrating. It is unfortunate that popular actor Son Seok-gu was not utilized properly.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr