The Merciless

The Merciless is a South Korean crime film about Han Jae-ho, a prisoner who holds considerable authority among the inmates and once served as a senior figure in a criminal organization. He intends to seize control of that gang after his release. His plans shift with the arrival of Jo Hyun-su, a new inmate who refuses to submit to the prison's unwritten rules or to anyone else. Jae-ho draws the younger man under his protection, and the two build a relationship behind bars before continuing it on the outside, each with his own aims.

Byun Sung-hyun directed and co-wrote the film with Kim Min-su, following his 2012 debut Whatcha Wearin'?. It sits second in the director's filmography, ahead of Kingmaker, Kill Boksoon and Good News. Sul Kyung-gu and Yim Si-wan lead a cast of 47 credited performers, with Kim Hee-won, Jeon Hye-jin, Lee Kyung-young and Moon Ji-yoon in supporting roles. Production involved 50 credited crew members, with CJ Entertainment and Barunson behind it.

Released in May 2017, the film runs 120 minutes and is classified as action, crime and mystery. Its worldwide box office came to about 7 million USD, a modest figure for a Korean release of its scale. Audience response has been warmer than the critical one: on IMDb it holds 6.8/10 from roughly 3,700 votes, and on TMDB 7.2/10 from 146 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 6.7/10 from 11 reviews.