A Shop For Killers

Disney+

4 stars

In this age of overwhelming television options, dramas have to start with a strong hook if they want to reel in audiences. 

In the first minutes of the Disney+ K-drama A Shop For Killers, an ordinary-looking young woman hides from a sniper determined to take her out, setting the stage for an intriguing show. 

The action series stars Kim Hye-jun (Kingdom, 2019 to 2020) as Jeong Ji-an, a college girl raised by her uncle, Jeong Jin-man (A-lister Lee Dong-wook) after her parents’ death.

When he dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances, she discovers his dark secret – he is the owner of a weapons store for professional killers. 

Without his protection, Ji-an finds herself hunted by shady and dangerous characters. 

Here are three reasons to tune in.

 1. Stylish and thrilling action scenes

The success of a series centred on an underground network of professional killers and mercenaries is largely determined by the action it delivers, and A Shop For Killers has scenes that are both fun as well as tense and high-stakes.

There is a stylish and exaggerated extended sequence dedicated to an attack on Jin-man’s house, when bombs, drones and a skilled sniper descend.

The way Ji-an and her childhood friend Jeong-min (Park Ji-bin) are slack-jawed and confused as they scramble for cover is almost comedic.

In several flashbacks, viewers are also treated to a thrilling chase involving a young Ji-an, injured and recovering in the hospital, when a killer comes for her.

It is terrifying to see a defenceless child stumbling into the morgue and hiding in a cold locker with a corpse to avoid capture. 

2. A new Lee Dong-wook

While the show begins with Jin-man’s death, it jumps between the present and the past, so Lee still has a heavy presence. 

Known for his more romantic roles in K-dramas such as Goblin (2016), Touch Your Heart (2019) and Tale Of The Nine Tailed (2020), Lee gets a chance to shed that image in A Shop For Killers. 

Instead of uttering soulful “I love you”s, he is a haggard and exhausted man who nags his niece to remember her student identity card number.

With his expressive eyes, he conveys the love Jin-man has for Ji-an and the incredible burden of navigating a dangerous life to protect and support her. 

And while Lee has tackled action scenes before, they were mostly in fantasy series where his character had supernatural powers.

This time, fans get to see him in more realistic fights, be it throwing punches during hand-to-hand close combat or wielding pistols and firing machine guns.

3. Intriguing mysteries abound

Much of the initial two episodes is spent building the premise and background of the characters and establishing the central relationship between Jin-man and Ji-an.

This sort of context-setting can easily become boring, but so much is being set up in here that entices the viewer to want more. 

For one thing, who killed Jin-man? While the police conclude that he committed suicide, his death is highly suspicious and unusual from the get-go – something Ji-an will have to unravel.

The death of her parents – revealed to be a murder-suicide – also looms large over the show, as it seems to be tied to some of the shady characters in Jin-man’s life. 

And most importantly, there is the question of why Ji-an is being hunted. The fact that so many killers are intent on dispatching her after her uncle dies suggests a larger conspiracy at play.