I, the Executioner (2024 film)
I, the Executioner is a 2024 South Korean action-thriller film co-written, directed and produced by Ryoo Seung-wan, starring Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hae-in. The sequel to Ryoo's 2015 film Veteran, it follows veteran detective Seo Do-cheol teaming up with a young detective, Park Sun-woo, in a high-stakes pursuit of a serial killer.
The film premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024. It was released theatrically in South Korea on September 13, 2024.
Plot
Detective Seo Do-cheol's Violent Crimes Investigation Unit raids an illegal gambling den. Soon after, a viral video surfaces showing a masked killer executing a disgraced art professor who raped a female student, leading to her suicide. The police realize this is part of a disturbing pattern. Each victim was a perpetrator in a past crime, killed in the same way their victim had suffered. As similar killings emerge, the police suspect a serial killer is targeting those who escaped justice.A popular YouTuber named "Editor Justice" covers the murders, dubbing the killer "Haechi" and framing them as a vigilante exposing flaws in the legal system. Public support for Haechi grows after more videos go viral, including a warning that ex-convict Jeon Seok-woo, who killed a pregnant woman in a drunk driving incident, is the next target. Despite public outrage, Seo's team is ordered to protect Jeon. They succeed in moving him to a safe house, where rookie officer Park Sun-woo stands out for his strength, politeness, and suspicious behavior.
Tensions rise as Sun-woo grows increasingly involved with the team. He meticulously secures the safe house, but Jeon escapes and is later found dead. Meanwhile, a staged confrontation on live stream at Namsan goes wrong when Sun-woo brutally assaults a man he wrongly believes to be Haechi. The man turns out to be an actor hired by Editor Justice for content. As the real investigation continues, suspicion begins to fall on Sun-woo, especially after more signs point to someone with martial arts skills and knowledge of police operations.
Another suspect, Min Kang-hoon, a traumatized former soldier, emerges after killing a biker gang with his car. After a violent chase and rooftop fight, Kang-hoon is nearly killed by Sun-woo using an extreme jiu-jitsu hold, but the police intervene just in time. Though Kang-hoon is arrested, forensic evidence suggests Jeon was killed by someone using leg-based choking techniques. Seo recalls a video of Sun-woo using that same move. He begins to suspect that Haechi has been in his team all along.
As Seo investigates, Sun-woo kidnaps Editor Justice and sets a trap, forcing Seo to choose between saving his son or another innocent woman. The detective team rescues Seo's son just in time. Seo then confronts Sun-woo in a brutal final showdown, where Sun-woo nearly kills him before Seo turns the tables. As paramedics arrive, Seo revives him, insisting he live to face justice. Later, Seo shares a quiet moment with his son, acknowledging his past emotional absence.
A post credit scene reveals that Sun-woo has escaped while being transported to the prison.
Production
In September 2015, a month after the release of his film Veteran, Ryoo Seung-wan and production company Filmmaker R&K confirmed that they agreed to make a sequel, which they originally expected to be made within two to three years. In December 2021, Ryoo revealed that he had finished the script for the sequel and planned shoot it at the end of the following year.In July 2022, FNC Entertainment announced that Jung Hae-in was offered a role in the film, succeeding Yoo Ah-in as the antagonist. In December 2022, Jung Hae-in was confirmed to have joined the cast, which would include Hwang Jung-min, Oh Dal-su, Jang Yoon-ju, Oh Dae-hwan and Kim Shi-hoo reprising their roles from the original film.
Principal photography began in December 2022. Filming took place at the Daejeon City Hall on January 8, 2023. In July 2023, Ryoo announced that the project recently completed filming and had entered post-production. The film is produced by Filmmaker R&K, which Ryoo owns with wife Kang Hye-jung.