The follow -up to The Roundup is pedantic but good. The Roundup:No Way Out (2023) is a similar formula to its predecessor. This time, however, the thugs are not just in a foreign country, but have the Japanese infiltrating the local drug gangs of Korea.
Sadly, it is not as polished or smooth and lacks the Hollywood pizzazz that the first film had in spades. There are no illusions to grandeur here, no Lethal Weapon or Rush Hour vibes at all.
The story
After the Vietnamese roundup in the first film, Ma Soek-do joins another taskforce. Once he becomes involved, they discover a new “synthetic” drug and must search to find out where it is coming from. They discover Yakuza are behind the source and rush to stem the drug tide before it is too late.
The Main Cast
Ma Dong-seok is Ma Suk Do, aka “The Beast.”
Lee Jun-hyuk is Jeon Seong-cheol.
Munetaka Aoki is Ricky.
Ahn Se-ho is Tomo.
Park Ji-hwan is back as Jang Yi-soo, the Leo Getz of this world.
Illustrious Cameo
Jun Kunimura is Ichizo.
behind the camera
Lee Sang-yong directs The Roundup:No Way Out (he directed the first one as well) from a script written by Kim Min-Sung. Ma Dong-seok produced this one as well and the stunt team was run by action director Sung-min Yoon; again.
As per the first Roundup film, the stunts look brilliant. The fight scenes pop out of the screen and Dong-seok manages to convincingly “kick arse” in style.
it works
The Roundup: No Way Out works. Despite being slower paced and lacking the glitz and polish of the first film in the trilogy, the film does entertain. Unfortunately, it does copy just about every pre-existing Korean cop film. It may well continue with the “Leo Getz” character, and it is amusing, but it lacks the panache of The Roundup, it has to be said. Great fight scenes are not enough to push this one to the top of the “roundup” list.
Kudos
It was brilliant to see Jun Kunimura playing a Yakuza again. He has been a favorite crime figure since Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage. *Most recently he was in the 2024 TV series Sunny as a major character.* Kudos to this actor for managing to steal almost every scene he is in. This in spite of what is, for all intents and purposes, a glorified cameo.
The Verdict
The Roundup: No Way Out is a solid 4 out of 5 stars film. Make no mistake, this one is fun, just not as much fun as the first in the trilogy. You can rent the film, or purchase it, via several platforms. Prime, Fandango, Google Play, et al, all are streaming the film from a rental price of $1.99 up.
The Trailer
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