What do you get when you put the incredible Ra Miran, Gong Myung, Yeom Hyeran, and Ahn Eunjin in a movie based on the real-life revenge of a brave mother? A hidden 2024 gem, that’s for sure. That’s why we are reviewing Citizen of a Kind so come join us.
My friend and I watched Ballerina on our way to Prague to see Troye Sivan and Citizen of a Kind on our way back home – a productive 4 hours all in all. I’ve been eyeing this movie for a while, specifically because the cast is just fantastic, but also because it’s based on a true story which is incredible. Ra Miran is an actress I’ll always trust with her roles because no matter what she does – more serious, emotional projects or more comedy ones, she’ll never be caught lacking. She truly shines in whatever she works on and paired with Gong Myung, Yeom Hyeran (another actress who never misses), and my beloved Ahn Eunjin, I knew that Citizen of a Kind was going to be an adventure. Let’s review!
From MyDramaList: Deok Hee is an ordinary citizen. She becomes a victim of a voice phishing scam. She loses tens of thousands of dollars in one moment. With the help of Jae Min, Bong Rim and Sook Ja, Deok Hee chases after the voice phishing group. Jae Min is a member of the voice phishing group and Deok Hee’s secret informant. Bong Rim is Deok Hee’s friend and co-worker. Sook Ja shares Deok Hee’s enthusiasm to catch the voice phishing group.
No spoilers ahead:
Citizen of a Kind is pretty straight-forward in its plot, energetic, constantly keeping up with the story and not letting you rest for a second. It’s definitely first and foremost an action comedy in my opinion, but it also provides with some both heartfelt and heartbreaking moments during its run. Thinking about how many people get scammed and have their whole lives turned around and how many of those scammers are being forced into this labor is definitely something that Citizen of a Kind tries to raise awarness of, too. It was thrilling trying to piece the information together and to root for our main lead to get her money back and to help her secret informant on his way to regain his freedom. You really couldn’t help but root for these normal, ordinary people who are doing their best to fight against the corruption and injustice.
Ra Miran did a fantastic job as Deok Hee – you are able to connect with her right away and feel her pain and frustration at all the bad things that followed the phishing scam. It was realistic for me because sometimes it really feels like when one bad thing happens, soon 10 even worse will follow. Of course, the fact that her character is based on a real-life brave woman adds an additional layer of this understanding to the movie and makes you truly hope everyone gets their deserved ending. The movie is, of course, a bit more idealistic (as the real-life scenario didn’t end with promised money) but it’s important that the story got told in broad light like this. Ra Miran balances the comedy, the heartbreak and the determined action so well and creates a likeable character from the get-go.
The rest of the cast did a great job as well – I really liked Yeom Hyeran’s silly character that actually gets things done, as well as Gong Myung’s character’s angsty storyline because I think he really suited this more-serious-than-not role. Citizen of a Kind is interesting, fun, and satisfying in the sense that the ending brings them all what they deserve more or less. It’s also funny to me how the police is portrayed in most movies nowadays because it’s what they deserve for not listening to their citizens. However, even they have a character development during the movie which I liked a lot.
All in all, without spoiling much, Citizen of a Kind was definitely an enjoyable watch, full of different kind of elements that will make you both laugh and feel for the characters in it. The cast is fantastic, the plot easy to follow and the comedy done in a great way – not over the top but still providing us with some much needed laughter amidst all the drama. It’s an 8/10 for me and I’d totally rewatch it if I came across it on TV again – why not? Recommendation if you need something to watch this weekend for sure.