The film takes the documented horror of Yoo Young-chul and uses it to create a compelling what-if scenario. The real Yoo was captured by police after a failed carjacking, not because a crime boss he stabbed decided to hunt him. By introducing the gangster character, the film explores a deeper, more uncomfortable truth about the justice system: its inability to protect everyone. The cop cannot catch the devil alone. He needs a sinner to help him. This isn't historically accurate, but it is emotionally and thematically resonant. It asks us: what kind of monster does it take to catch a monster?
While the exact operational partnership between a mob boss and a detective is a product of cinematic embellishment, the core premise——is closely anchored to South Korea’s grim true crime history.
This line is a direct nod to South Korea's real-world legal landscape. South Korea maintains a . The real-life killer, Yoo Young-chul, was sentenced to death in 2004. He remains alive on death row inside a South Korean prison custody unit. The film’s writer and director used the gangster's fictional revenge plot to give audiences a cathartic sense of finality that the real-life victims' families never fully received. Legacy and the Upcoming Hollywood Remake
Detective Jung Tae-suk (played by Kim Mu-yeol) is a hot-headed, dedicated officer who realizes a series of seemingly unrelated murders are the work of a single serial killer. Hamstrung by bureaucratic police leadership, he reluctantly partners with the gangster to pool resources. is the gangster the cop the devil based on true story
is based on a true story , though it takes significant creative liberties to heighten the action and drama. The film's core premise—an unlikely alliance between a mob boss and a detective to catch a serial killer—draws inspiration from real criminal events in South Korea during the mid-2000s. 🔍 The Real Inspiration
How the compares to the real killer's fate
was active between 2004 and 2006, murdering 13 people and injuring several others. Like the killer in the movie, Jeong was known for random, unprovoked attacks, frequently targeting victims in low-income neighborhoods or striking them in isolated areas without any apparent motive. The film takes the documented horror of Yoo
The real-life killers who inspired this character were just as ruthless, but they were eventually caught through meticulous forensic police work and public tips—not a joint manhunt with the mafia. Jeong Nam-gyu, for instance, profile-matched a deeply disturbed individual who admitted he killed simply because the act gave him pleasure. 2. The Gangster (The Mob Boss Survival)
: While there have been real cases where criminals provided information to catch serial killers (such as a brothel owner helping identify Yoo Young-chul), the specific "buddy cop" dynamic between a high-ranking gang leader and a detective was crafted for cinematic effect.
Here’s where the connection gets specific: The cop cannot catch the devil alone
This is the most frequently cited influence on the film. Yoo Young-chul was a notorious serial killer active in Seoul from September 2003 to July 2004, a period overlapping with the film's setting.
Screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screenings section.
The 2019 South Korean action-thriller The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (Korean: 악인전; RR: Akinjeon ) has captured global attention not only for its stylish, brutal action but also for its provocative marketing claim that it is "inspired by a true story". The film stars Ma Dong-seok (also known as Don Lee) as Jang Dong-su, a notorious crime boss who survives an unprovoked stabbing by a serial killer, forcing him into a reluctant partnership with a hot-headed detective, Jung Tae-seok (Kim Mu-yeol), to track down the assailant.
While gangsters and police have been known to share information in real-world investigations, the cinematic, high-drama team-up where a mobster actively works alongside a detective is almost entirely a creation of the screenwriter and director, Lee Won-tae.
