Taxi Driver (2021)

Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Pyo Ye Jin, Esom
Year Released: 2021
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: , Action, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Country: Korea
Where I Watched It: Viki
Recommended By: Lee Je Hoon
Who I Watched It For: Lee Je Hoon

Do Ki has lived more honestly than anyone else as an officer in the Special Forces. Yet, when a serial killer murders his mother, he spends his days in agony. While feeling wronged and broken, Do Ki meets Jang Sung Chul, who recruits Do Ki to work for his company, Rainbow Taxi.

Far from an ordinary taxi service, Rainbow Taxi is a secret organization that avenges victims whom the law didn’t protect. Here, Do Ki becomes a star driver who delivers satisfying revenge. Meanwhile, Ha Na is a prosecutor who investigates Rainbow Taxi. She is furious with their lawless behavior, but at the same time, she feels confused to see them solve cases that the law cannot.

Between those who believe that revenge embodies true justice and those who pursue the outlaws, Do Ki seeks what justice truly means.

I came across this drama when I was searching for something new to watch. This show hadn’t come out yet so I had a little bit of a wait but I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Every single week, I was glued to my seat the minute that subtitles were released in English. I watched a couple of things that Lee Je Hoon was in but I never paid super close attention to him…I’m paying hella attention now.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty stuff, shall we?

Main Male Lead: Kim Dogi

Lee Je Hoon
InstaGram | Facebook

Kim Dogi was played by Lee Je Hoon and I was a big fan of this casting. He’s my latest k-drama actor crush so Park Seo Joon better come out with something soon or he’ll be de-throned as my top k-drama crush.

Anyway, Lee Je Hoon has been killing it in everything that he’s starred in and this role was no different. I really enjoyed seeing him bring Kim Dogi’s character to life. I enjoyed his portrayal so much that I went searching for the webtoon so that I can read it at the same time that I was watching the show but I could only find it in Korean so I ended up just watching the show.

Kim Dogi was my favorite part of this show. He transitioned from one person to another person every episode and sold each performance, doing whatever was necessary to avenge his clients. You could tell that he cared about each client and their stories and I seriously loved that. He came off as a very reserved and cold person but he put his life on the line for every case and he was just so stinkin’ good at what he did that he made tuning in every week worth the wait. I don’t care what anyone says, he loved him some Ahn Goeun. The lengths he went to protect and avenge her??? Yeah, you can’t tell anything else. If this show had a romance, it was between Dogi and Goeun. Sorry, prosecutor.

Main Female Lead: Ahn Goeun

Pyo Ye Jin
InstaGram

My girl Ahn Goeun was my second favorite person in this entire show. She was a fully fleshed-out character that hit me with so many different emotions. She had a strong sense of purpose and of doing right by those that can’t fight the system themselves. Her story hit me hard and I cried hella while watching her struggle with feelings of letting her sister down. I also adored her obvious crush on Kim Dogi and totally think he reciprocated her feelings back. He went above and beyond for her, and the way that she clung to his present to her when she needed someone but was too prideful to reach out a hand had me ugly crying in my room.

Pyo Ye Jin really owned this role and she won me over right from the beginning, in episode 1. I loved how everyone on the team was scared of her and I loved when she would jump into action when the case called for her involvement and I love how smart, charming and just overall great her character was. She was the perfect partner for Kim Dogi and his ass knew it. They were definitely meant to be together.

Second Lead: Kang Hana

Esom
InstaGram | Twitter

Esom played the character of Kang Hana, the prosecutor who was all about the work and getting the bad guys by the letter of the law and anyone who did otherwise were no better than the criminals she put behind bars. She had a know-it-all attitude that rubbed me the wrong way for most of the show and even in the end, I wasn’t completely invested in her character. She spent the first part of the show, thinking the worst of Dogi and she had this superior attitude that her way was the best way and she looked down on everything that the Rainbow Taxi crew were trying to do and she does all of this until she’s affected by the system falling down on her case and then….all of a sudden, what the Rainbow Taxi crew was doing was okay. Because she needed them, they were okay. She really could have missed me with all of that BS. I wasn’t a big fan of the way that Dogi came around with her character.

I really wish that there was someone else on the police force or prosecutor’s office that could have worked with our favorite deluxe taxi service instead of her. Esom’s acting is great because I want to see her in other dramas where her character doesn’t piss me off so much. I liked her, just not in this show, and for damn sure not with Dogi. LOL.

The Cast

I really enjoyed getting to know everyone else on the Rainbow Taxi team. I loved how everyone had a role and everyone played their roles exceptionally well. The engineers, the CEO, the muscle, and the hacker all played critical roles in bringing the bad guys down and though I didn’t like every single thing they did, the driving force behind the idea of what they do really stuck with me and I loved the reasons that they did all that they did and I really loved the people they were.

I’ve taken note of all of them and will start looking for more of their work to watch because I liked seeing them every week on my little screen. Lots of great actors and actresses in this bunch.

The Story

This show is about a deluxe taxi service that seeks revenge for those that can’t avenge themselves. People who have been failed by the system that is supposed to protect and serve. I’m a bloodthirsty bitch so when I read the summary of this show, I was all the way in. The show starts off strong and I was heavily invested in what was going down. I enjoyed the darker tone of the show and seeing the Rainbow Taxi team seek their own justice for the wrongs done to their clients. Every case made me cry and the lengths that the Rainbow Taxi team went to, to make sure that their clients got the justice that they deserved made me happy.

The acting is pretty top-notch and every actor really brought a different aspect to the show that made the show that much better in my eyes. There was a writer switch-up about halfway through the show and I noticed it. I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half but the second half didn’t turn me off the show completely or anything like this. The ending was a little disappointing but that was because it ended with an addition that I didn’t care about for the entire season and didn’t want in the end but it is what it is.

Overall, this one is probably my favorite drama of the year so far. I highly recommend this show if you’re looking for a good vs. evil drama with lots of action, a team of do gooders with a dark side. This was a definite treat and I’ve already watched it all the way through twice.

Final Rating

4.5 out of 5