Case-cracking camaraderie with Chief Detective Lee Je-hoon

by solstices

Another action-packed teaser is out for MBC’s period thriller Chief Detective 1958, with Lee Je-hoon (Taxi Driver 2) stepping into the shoes of Choi Bool-am’s iconic Chief Inspector. In this prequel, we rewind to the rookie days of the inspector’s youth, following alongside him as he builds his steadfast resilience and righteous reputation.

The teaser opens with our titular detective Park Young-han (Lee Je-hoon) in the aftermath of a thwarted case, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes in a steely glare. “I want nothing more than to apprehend them,” Young-han admits, voice thick with frustration and anguish. “But I can’t.” A montage of gunshots and bloodshed reinforces his utter helplessness, and with no clear path out of this quandary, Young-han turns to reinforcements.

“It’s time to start again from the beginning,” Young-han declares, renewing his resolve. Four heads are better than one, and Young-han’s recruited three allies who are just as capable and committed to the cause. You know a hero means business when he puts on his leather gloves, and Young-han does just that as he strides down the corridors of the police station, his trusty team in tow.

It’s time for introductions, and naturally, our hero is the first batter. Sneaking undercover into a gambling den and single-handedly subduing a suspect in the cover of night, Young-han proudly holds the title of the detective with the highest arrest rate… of cattle thieves. LOL. Such is the life of a provincial country boy, who has his fair share of goofy moments such as whacking someone on the head with the hand he just licked.

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When Young-han gets moved up to Seoul, he takes his ardent intensity with him, and he meets his match in fellow detective Kim Sang-soon. Played by a sharp-edged Lee Dong-hwi (Big Bet), Sang-soon quite literally lives up to his “crazy dog” moniker when he bites down on a criminal with such might that even the collective strength of three lackeys isn’t enough to yank him off.

Backing him up in strength is Choi Woo-sung (Melancholia) as the broad-shouldered Jo Kyung-hwan, whose fists are so quick to act that even Sang-soon winds up getting his lapels grabbed. Thankfully, justice guides his punches more often than not, and Kyung-hwan sends the gangster wastrel Rattlesnake (musical actor Park Jung-hyuk in his screen debut) flying with just a single slap. Can someone qualify as a police officer by sheer virtue of their physical prowess? According to the enthused wink and thumbs up from Young-han, apparently so.

Every brawn-filled team needs its brain, and Yoon Hyun-soo (A Good Day to Be a Dog) fills that role as the quick-witted tactician Seo Ho-jung. He may only know “just a little” English, and he may be diverging from his professor parents’ path, but his incisive intelligence and street smarts are enough to earn him an invitation to Young-han’s team.

With pushcart brawls, Molotov cocktail explosions, and good old ‘50s fashion, our heroes are ready to capture rotten criminals and deal out well-deserved retribution for their crimes. The tale of the soon-to-be legendary detectives begins now.

Directed by filmmaker Kim Sung-hoon (Rampant) with scripts written by Kim Young-shin, Chief Inspector 1958 will tackle its first case on April 19.