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The Roundup: Punishment

Play trailer 0:56 Poster for The Roundup: Punishment Released May 3, 2024 1h 49m Action Crime Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
During the investigations of a drug trafficking app, the Monster Cop Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) and his team discover a connection between the wanted app developer, who was killed in the Philippines, and a massive illegal online gambling organization. Meanwhile in the Philippines, Baek Chang-gi, a former elite soldier, has been controlling the Korean online illegal gambling market, terrorizing it with kidnap, assault and murder. His partner, the IT genius CEO, Chang Dong-chul plans an even larger scheme in Korea. To put an end to the escalating threat, Detective Ma expands the operation by proposing an unexpected alliance to Jang, and unfolds the biggest roundup mission to hunt down the criminals, collaborating with the cyber unit and Metro Investigations.

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The Roundup: Punishment

Critics Reviews

View All (23) Critics Reviews
Simon Abrams RogerEbert.com Unfortunately, the action scenes in “The Roundup: Punishment” [...] lack the antic energy that makes Lee stand out in the first place. Rated: 2/4 May 5, 2024 Full Review Jessica Kiang Variety This, truly, is cinema. May 1, 2024 Full Review Wendy Ide Screen International While The Roundup: Punishment may not win over new audiences, it is unlikely to disappoint its fanbase: it’s a robustly entertaining romp... Feb 28, 2024 Full Review Justin Kim Loud and Clear Reviews The Roundup: Punishment is solid. But that doesn’t mean I don’t realize how this sort of movie, and to that extent, Ma Dong-seok’s primary filmography, won’t work for others who are less forgiving of the typecast format. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 6, 2025 Full Review Rob Hunter Film School Rejects It’s as perfect a formula as you could hope for as Don Lee’s oversized charms enliven both the warm laughs and the bloody beatdowns. Aug 4, 2024 Full Review William Schwartz HanCinema The story smoothly alternates between excellent action scenes and comic relief sections with a heavy emphasis on bickering. This even provides a surprisingly coherent theme. Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (17) audience reviews
Paul Action and comedy well constructed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/09/24 Full Review vikram ma deong seok for the win! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review TONY D great movie ... will definitely go see it again Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/03/24 Full Review babarizam D I give three stars because there are some part that makes no sense for example stopping a private plane once the doors are closed Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/19/25 Full Review Matthew D Ma Dong-seok is once again hilarious and awesome as the hard hitting detective Ma Seok-do! Director Heo Myeong-haeng’s South Korean crime action thriller The Roundup: Punishment (2024) is vicious and hysterical. I think it’s cool that the martial arts choreographer Heo Myung-haeng from the first three Roundup films got to direct The Roundup: Punishment. He delivers dozens of ruthless knife fights and martial arts fist fights. I really enjoyed this fourth film in this outstanding series. The Roundup: Punishment is all jokes and violence. Writers Oh Sang-ho, Don Lee, and Kim Hyeong-seok’s script adapts the 2015 Pattaya murder case in Thailand, where South Korean criminals were kidnapping tech savvy computer programmers to operate an illegal gambling site. They just changed the location to the Philippines for the movie. Having the villains be a crypto tech bro is hilarious and easy to root for him to keep beat up. All the poor kidnapped victims had me feeling sorry for them. It’s wild how dangerous and complex online gambling has become in a world of prevalent online gambling in general. I liked how likable the cop friends are as they track down these gangs controlling gambling sites and cryptocurrency scams. Editor Kim Sun-min’s smooth transitions between South Korea and the Philippines are easy to follow as we follow both the crooks and cops alike. It’s super easy to follow all the punches and stabbings this time too. Cinematographer Lee Seong-je’s careful panning shots cut through the violent attacks for a very clear image of each duel. I loved seeing some of the far wide shots of Seoul, South Korea as well as the city in the Philippines. The dark and shadowy lighting by Park Sung-chan is very ominous as we witness several stabbings. Ma Dong-seok is ultra cool as the tough Detective Ma Seok-do, with massive arms and powerful punches. His wry humor and fast dodging are as impressive as his gigantic punches. He actually feels like he’s getting faster as these films go along even in his 50’s! He’s a wonderfully kind man in these movies as he supports the families of the fallen. I love how he feels like a good example for men to protect women and children, treating them with respect. Kim Mu-yeol is frightening as the lunatic with knives Baek Chang-ki. His villain runs all these gambling halls and attacks any competition. He does a great job of showing his madness and ambition. Lee Dong-hwi is very funny as the young crypto CEO Chang Dong-cheol, who is trying to scam the public and rip off the other crooks. Kim Ji-yoon is great as Cho Ji-hoon, the other knife wielding subordinate. Park Ji-hwan is hilarious once again as gambler turned arcade chairman Jang Yi-soo. Him returning to be a police informant and pretend detective is a scream to watch. He now has incredibly long hair and Gucci clothes for extra laughs. Im Seo-ah and Komleva Zoia are very pretty as Yi-soo’s girlfriends. Lee Beom-soo’s humorous Police Captain Jang Tae-soo is still a riot. Lee Joo-bin is gorgeous, charming, and amusing as Detective Han Ji-soo. Her tech savvy heroine is a lovely addition to the group of officers. Her undercover disguise in the gambling hall casino is adorable. She’s so fun trying to dupe the casino crooks with her sly smile and signals to Yi-soo. I love when they’re making fun of Yi-soo and you can see her laughing in the background. Bae Hae-sun gets a very moving cameo as the kidnapping victim Sung-jae's mother. Composer Yoon Il-sang delivers an electrifying film score for all the excitement. Sound designers Gong Tae-won, Kim Gi-nam, and Kim Hyeon-gyu make Ma Dong-seok’s punches sound like cannonballs hitting the criminals. Costume designer Nam Ji-soo gives Ma a fuzzy brown aviator jacket this time. Lee Joo-bin gets a fuzzy coat and pink suit for the cutest outfit in The Roundup: Punishment. I love all of Yi-soo’s outrageous designer Gucci outfits. Makeup artists Nam Ji-soo and Pi Dae-seong play around with different looks by giving everyone many disguises. In the end, The Roundup: Punishment is as ruthless in its violent action and hilarious in its comedy for a delightful sequel. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Waheduzzaman A Goodwatch, but it lacks the story and energy from the previous installments. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Roundup: Punishment

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Movie Info

Synopsis During the investigations of a drug trafficking app, the Monster Cop Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) and his team discover a connection between the wanted app developer, who was killed in the Philippines, and a massive illegal online gambling organization. Meanwhile in the Philippines, Baek Chang-gi, a former elite soldier, has been controlling the Korean online illegal gambling market, terrorizing it with kidnap, assault and murder. His partner, the IT genius CEO, Chang Dong-chul plans an even larger scheme in Korea. To put an end to the escalating threat, Detective Ma expands the operation by proposing an unexpected alliance to Jang, and unfolds the biggest roundup mission to hunt down the criminals, collaborating with the cyber unit and Metro Investigations.
Director
Heo Myeong-haeng
Producer
Yoo Young-chae, Kim Won-hoon
Screenwriter
Oh Sang-ho
Distributor
Capelight Pictures / Blue Fox Entertainment
Production Co
ABO Entertainment, Bigpunch Pictures, Hong Film, B.A. Entertainment
Genre
Action, Crime, Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
May 3, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$892.6K
Runtime
1h 49m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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