Taxi Driver – Full Review
Welcome to Taxi Driver -Full Review. A vigilante taxi service that helps victims find revenge against those who have committed crimes against them. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Taxi Driver
♥ Aired: April 9 – May 29, 2021
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Crime Suspense Drama
♥Starring: Lee Je Hoon and Esom
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The Story
Rainbow Taxi is no ordinary transportation company. Formed to offer revenge where the arm of the law failed, this group of vigilantes work together to bring their own brand of justice. Through a series of heartbreaking cases, the team finds closure for those who have been marginalized by the corrupt law system and the wealthy politicians who support it. But when a savvy prosecutor starts to make guess their game, their company and their mission are in jeopardy. Can she look the other way when the company’s lawless behavior brings about the justice that the law can’t?
The Leads
Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi
After finding his mother brutally murdered, Kim Do Gi is approached by Jang Sung Chul to join him in establishing an organization that helps powerless victims get revenge on those who have wronged them. Do Gi becomes the premium taxi driver for Rainbow Taxi Service, where he meets and helps their clients, by carrying out various missions to bring them justice. For years, their team has worked with those in need, but when their cases begin crossing paths with an inquisitive prosecutor she becomes suspicious of their actions and begins investigating the disappearance of several criminals.
Kim Do Gi lived the upstanding life of a respected military officer until his mother’s death left him feeling angry and powerless. Now he is determined to bring the kind of closure he never got, to the people who come to them for help. This is another outstanding performance by Lee Je Hoon, who continues to prove his talent and diversity in the roles he plays. Even in the course of this one series, Kim Do Gi disguises himself as several very different characters and they are all a joy to watch. Toward the end of this drama, as Do Gi struggles with the question of whether revenge simply breeds more revenge in a neverending cycle of pain, we see his character finally begin to heal and grow so that he can finally embrace the life he has left to live.
Esom as Kang Ha Na
Kang Ha Na is a fierce prosecutor who becomes suspicious when she realizes that several of the criminals from her cases have mysteriously disappeared unexplainably. As she digs into these cases, the clues lead her back to Rainbow Taxi Service and a mysterious deluxe taxi that seems to show up at the last place each criminal is seen. Ha Na becomes obsessed with finding out what is really happening at the mysterious taxi company and what secrets Do Gi is hiding.
Kang Ha Na has become successful at her job by seeing the law as completely black and white, but the diffence between right and wrong has not always been so simple for her. And as she begins to uncover the truth behind Rainbow Taxi company, she is once again faced with the question of whether sometimes the end doesn’t justify the means. Her faith in the system is shaken by the idea that this team of vigilantes is able to bring justice to situations that the law could not. Esom did a great job as the determined and unswerving prosecutor. But I do wish they would have given her more of a backstory, like the other characters got. As a lead, I felt her part was a bit one dimensional in a drama full of great characters.
Supporting Characters
Kim Eui Sung as Jang Sung Chul
Jang Sung Chul is the CEO of Rainbow Taxi Company and also runs a non-profit organization that helps victims and their families through financial support as well as other resources. He gathered the Rainbow team together after his parents were coldly murdered in their home, and operates the buiness out of his home. While he is a kind and gentle person when dealing with his team and the victims they assist, he is ruthless when it comes to dispensing justice.
Pyo Ye Jin as Ahn Go Eun
Ahn Go Eun is the team hacker. Her sister was driven to kill herself after her boyfriend posted a sex video of the two of them on the internet. Now her role on the Rainbow team is to be the eyes and ears during their missions and handle any computer security problems they run into. She and Do Gi have a special relationship that hints at a romantic attraction, although it is never clearly specified.
Jang Hyuk In and Bae Yoo Ram as Choi Kyung Goo and Park Jin Eon (Mechanics)
Kyung Goo and Jin Eon are the taxi company mechanics. While Kyung Goo is the lead mechanic, who specializes in auto development, Jin Eon is the assistant who specializes in aircraft maintanence. Their siblings had been engaged before dying in an apartment fire set by an arsonist. They spend most of their time inventing new items to make Do Gi’s taxi tougher and more effective on missions.
Things I Liked
♥ The Many faces of Do Gi
It is impossible not to appreciate the many disguises used by Do Gi during their missions. Each character brings a whole new role for Lee Je Hoon and he plays them all ot the fullest. From straight laced substitute teacher to seasoned gangster, and a few roles in between, we get to enjoy the humor of each change. For an actor who has shown so much diversity in the span of his career, this is just a chance for fans to be reminded of his talent.
♥ Twin Twist
I love a good plot twist and I have to say I never saw this one coming. Surprise! Goo Seok Tae has a twin. Of course, there wasn’t much evidence to make us suspect that, but it was still a fun twist that was carried out perfectly. Our villain power suddenly doubles and it confuses our heroes just enough to give the bad guys the upper hand, however temporary. Well done, writers!
♥ Moral Dilemma
“Taxi Driver” gives us a lot of food for thought on our ideas of right and wrong. When, if ever, is it okay to break the law in order to see real justice? Each character has come to their own conclusions to this question. But even as we are whisked up in the story and rooting for our Rainbow team, we can easily acknowledge that there are lines being crossed. The truth is that things like right and wrong or truth and justice are seldom black and white and some times it’s good to be reminded of that.
Things I Didn’t Like
Disjointed Story Arcs
Maybe because of the highly emotional tone of each case, the multiple story arcs in “Taxi Driver” sometimes made the drama feel disjointed and lacking any cohesive plot. This problem was made worse by the fact that the drama was forced to change writers halfway through, and the new writers brought their own style to the later episodes. This episodic style is becoming more popular in kdrama these days and it does leave more room for subsequent seasons, but it also takes away from the tight, well-developed plots that fans have come to expect.
Female Romantic Interest
The two female leads were unusual in this drama. There was obviously an attraction between Do Gi and Go Eun, and I really enjoyed their sweet, shy interactions. But the presence of Ha Na and her realtionship with Do Gi didn’t seem to fit into that situation. When we first meet Ha Na, she seems more like the love interest in an enemies to lovers kind of story. Even as the story emerges, there is some unspecified connection and tension between Do Gi and Ha Na that feel ambiguous and kind of confusing.
Too Evil
While the Rainbow team had plenty of opportunities to examine their methods, and eventually consider ending their service because of it, other characters didn’t seem as enlightened. The villains embraced their evil ways without any real motivation or regret. We never see them refelct on their choices. And what about Ha Na who stubbornly followed the law through the whole series, and then suddenly decides that locking people in a self-made prison, among other serious crimes, is something she is not only willing to look the other way for but something she wants to participate in. The lack of any self-reflection made these characters a bit one-dimensional, in my opinion.
The Ending
“Taxi Driver” manages to tie up all the loose plot ends while still leaving a door open for a second season, which is currently in talks. The gang wraps up one last case by forcing Chul Young to admit that he was the one who killed Do Gi’s mother. Ha Na decides that she is going to ignore all the crimes committed by Rainbow Taxi company and resign, but the Chief Prosecutor rips it up and resigns himself to protect them all. One year later, we see Chul Young recieving his sentence, as well as Sung Mi and the Gu twins. While the twins get life in prison, Sung Mi gets 20 years. The Rainbow team is all back to working in their individual fields. Jin Eon is working with space shuttles, Kyung Goo is doing maintenance for racing cars, and Go Eun has become a police officer. Do Gi has taken a break to travel and enjoy life. But when each of them, including Ha Na, recieve a message on their pagers, they meet back at the taxi company. It looks like they didn’t actually disband after all, they just added Ha Na. And we get an introduction to their next case, when we see parents stuff a young child into a suitcase and abandon her. Luckily Do Gi is there to set her free. What happens next? Stay tuned…
Should I Watch
“Taxi Driver” is a dark, gritty action drama that features an amazing cast and interesting stories based on real life cases. It begins as a more case based crime drama before moving into a more over-arching theme for the second half of the series. There is a focus on fighting and action scenes, so if you don’t enjoy watching an invincible hero take down 12 of his opponents in violent and creative ways, you probably won’t enjoy this drama. Also, the violence suffered by the victims is heartbreaking and touches on some sensitive subjects if you are triggered by those kinds of stories. “Taxi Driver” never pretends to be a light, fun drama. But it is a thought-provoking look at the legal system and those who fall through the cracks of true justice. The Rainbow Taxi crew each have their own tragic backstories that lend themselves to interesting character development and give insight into each members’ strengths and weaknesses within the team. I give “Taxi Driver” a 9 out of 10 ramen.
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