The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil

The film was released theatrically in South Korea on 15 May 2019, and was also screened in the “Midnight Screenings” section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival as well as at the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival.

However, Dong-soo believes the killer was not a rival gang member as his moves seemed to be random and purposeless. Tae-suk visits Dong-soo at the hospital and asks him to cooperate so that the police can catch the killer for him, but Dong-soo refuses. Instead, Dong-soo orders his men to find the killer. Using a sketch and Dong-soo’s memory of the killer’s license plate, they manage to find his car and a knife. Dong-soo eventually informs Tae-suk of the findings, and they decide to team up to catch the mysterious killer. Dong-soo agrees to provide manpower and cover expenses — but on the condition that the killer belongs to the one who finds him first. Dong-soo wants to kill him for revenge while Tae-suk wants to arrest him in order to solve five connected murder cases and eventually get promoted.

Meanwhile, Dong-soo orders his right-hand man, Kwon Oh-sung, to kill his rival Heo Sang-do with the killer’s knife that already has traces of blood from the killer’s previous victims. An enraged Tae-suk gets into a fight with Dong-soo upon learning what he has done as the killing is confirmed to be the work of a serial killer, causing the case to be transferred to the major case squad. Dong-soo attends Sang-do’s funeral; the killer also turns up and informs Sang-do’s second-in-command that Sang-do was killed with the killer’s knife, but by someone else. When Tae-suk and Dong-soo check the killer’s car for any evidence, they are attacked by Sang-do’s henchmen. A fight ensues, resulting in the death of Sang-do’s right-hand man while in a fight with Tae-suk.

Dong-soo gets him buried and clears the scene. Tae-suk gets assigned to investigate a kidnapping case and, while solving it, spots the killer. A chase ensues, but the killer is able to escape. Through forensic test, Tae-suk discovers the killer to be a missing person. He informs Dong-soo about this and lets him hear a voice clip to confirm the missing person is the killer. Later, Dong-soo helps a high school girl by giving her his umbrella but soon learns that the girl has been murdered and his umbrella was found at the crime scene. Dong-soo and Tae-suk and their men start looking for the killer in the area where the girl was murdered and eventually find him in a car. In the ensuing chase, the killer manages to kill Oh-sung but is finally captured and incapacitated by Dong-soo. Dong-soo takes the killer away to torture and kill him, but Tae-suk tracks them down and crashes his car into the hideout just as Dong-soo is about to kill the killer. Tae-suk hits Dong-soo with his car and arrests the killer.

The police have no conclusive evidence against the killer, Kang Kyung-ho. As a last resort, Tae-suk asks Dong-soo, the sole survivor of the attacks, to testify. Simultaneously, Tae-suk threatens to release a tape of Dong-soo’s confession of having Sang-do killed. During Kyung-ho’s trial, Dong-soo arrives to testify and provides decisive testimony. Dong-soo successfully predicts the existence of a stab wound on Kyung-ho’s body, previously inflicted by Dong-soo during their first encounter. Dong-soo also provides misleading evidence framing Kyung-ho for Sang-do’s murder. The court sentences Kyung-ho to death; however, Dong-soo is also arrested due to his illegal activities.

Tae-suk is finally promoted while Dong-soo is sent to the prison where Kyung-ho is kept: The condition which Dong-soo had requested Tae-suk fulfill in exchange for the testimony followed by his arrest. Spotting Kyung-ho, Dong-soo gleefully enters prison. While Kyung-ho is showering, he is confronted by Dong-soo with a rope in his hand and a smile on his face.