Lead cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, Lim Soo-jung, Kim Eui-song
This summer, Disney+ invites viewers to dive into its splashy new crime series Low Life, featuring Ryu Seung-ryong (Moving) and Yang Se-jong (Doona!) as an uncle and nephew team trying to get into the illicit business of excavating national artefacts off the Korean coast.
The first thing that jumps out while watching this jaunty caper is its sterling production value, which brings 1970s Korea to life through evocative period detail in a story that flits between the cluttered streets of Seoul and the sun-drenched harbour of Mokpo on Koreaโs southern coast.
Based on the comic Pa-in (โdug outโ) by webtoon artist Yoon Tae-ho, whose works have previously been adapted into films such as Inside Men and Moss, this tale of wily criminals calls to mind several recent films and shows set in the recent past about men leaving their homes in search of riches.
Among those earlier works are Netflixโs Narco-Saints and Disney+โs Big Bet, the latter of which shares another connection with Low Life in director Kang Yoon-sung. While those series focused on Korean men travelling overseas, here everyone stays on home ground.