Officer Black Belt review: Kim Woo-bin in an action-comedy hits the right chord

Kim Woo-bin [Our Blues and Black Knight] is back and this time in an action film also starring Kim Sung-kyun. Officer Black Belt, directed and written by Jason Kim of Bloodhounds fame, rides heavily on Woo-bin’s capability to pull off an action-comedy that is fairly simplistic.
Woo-bin plays Lee Jung-do, who is a master of sports. He has a total of nine black belt degrees in taekwondo, kendo, and judo. While he hates to lose in sports and e-sports [alias Diarrhea for friends], he also helps his father deliver chicken as part-time. Jung-do does everything he wants as long as he is having fun doing it. During one such incident, he accidentally saves a probation officer and ends up meeting Kim Sun-min [Kim Sung-kyun], who asks his help in monitoring ex-convicts to prevent crimes. “Will it be fun?,” asks Jung-do. “It will lead to a lot of learning,” promises Sun-min. Thus, Jung-do takes on the role of a Martial Arts Officer under the Minister of Justice.
Watching Woo-bin start off in blonde hair having fun comes as a relief after watching his last few works. It is like a reminder of the actor’s light-hearted personality, which he explored in shows like The Heirs and The Con Artists, among others. The film doesn’t offer a lot to Jung-do. The larger focus is on his physical strength as a martial arts expert, which is in striking contrast with his personality as a man with a soft heart. It also doesn’t make any statement and remains centred around the odd working hours and complexities that the probation officers struggle with. It focusses on the issues faced by these officers while dealing with ex-convicts on low budgets and lack of resources.
Jung-do finds it odd in this new workplace during the initial days before a complicated case involving a recurring sexual offender comes to light. The writing for the film is far too predictable and simplistic, but it works because it seems to have got its heart in the right place.

Given that Jung-do is a trained sports person, I was expecting the action choreography to be taken up by several notches, but it conforms more or less to traditional action pieces, which is slightly disappointing. However, the camaraderie shared by Woo-bin and veteran actor Sung-kyun is quite a delight.
The film could have benefited better with a decent OST, but it heavily rides on Woo-bin to piggyback the entire show. In that regard, Woo-bin delivers, but I wish he had more to explore with Jung-do. Nonetheless, Officer Black Belt is a decent watch and a perfect one to binge-watch on a lazy weekend.