The Slave Hunters

It's clear that the success of this series is due to its excellent cast. I don't think I've seen more minor or major stars and familiar faces anywhere. That was probably one of the reasons why the series had so many episodes. Because when you get a cast like that together, I guess you can't not take advantage of it. Unfortunately, it does take away from the plot, which is quite drawn out in places, and the episodes where nothing happens at all are no exception. What keeps it afloat in such moments are the well-developed characterizations and the very above-average soundtrack. I don't really have anything to say about Hyeok Jang's performance. Just that I totally understand why there was such positive feedback for his role. All you have to do is look at how he runs, holds a dagger, rides a horse, or just looks at the world with contempt and sadness at the same time. I think he put everything into this role. The opposite was true for his castmate Da-hae Lee. If she hadn't been there, or if there had just been a picture of her instead, it would have come out exactly the same. When she laughed, I didn't believe her. When she cried, I didn't believe it either. She just didn't give anything extra. Fortunately, she was the only one, because the others played it down to the bone. Not to mention the absolutely fantastic fight scenes. As I've written before, the soundtrack is another strong point of the series. It was the one that made ordinary slaves into heroes for the viewer and gave their fight and revenge the right atmosphere. The Slave Hunters is much less sweet than I expected. The Slave Hunters simply is not a fairy tale. Still, I would recommend it to those with a sweet tooth. 4 stars. (26/05/2015)