Quiet pawnshop keeper Cha Tae-sik only has one friend: a child named So-mi. After So-mi is kidnapped, Tae-sik takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hopes of saving his only friend.
The take
When a quiet and mysterious stranger comes and befriends your child, most parents would be wary about that. Stranger danger, after all, there’s simply not enough trust built yet. The Man from Nowhere is one such friendship, but rather than this being the reason for danger, this friendship is the reason for a child being saved, albeit with brutal and stylish action sequences directed by Lee Jeong-beom. The revenge thriller takes familiar tropes, with a mysterious savior employing standard action moves with a fairly predictable backstory, but it’s that friendship that makes these familiar fights hold emotional weight, making The Man from Nowhere an exciting drama.
What stands out
The ending.
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