As a lover of Lee Je-hoon, this drama excites me to no end, and to have it be about vigilante justice, makes that much more exciting. It is one of my favorite themes in a show which has been artfully depicted in other dramas such as The Guardians, Mad Dog, Healer, City Hunter, Leverage, and to some extent, Player.
I think the appeal, at least for me, stems from the fact that it more often than not starts as pay for hire but ends up personally touching the operatives involved, giving it that relatability factor. As they say, sometimes justice is better served by those who have experienced the pain. The end game is to uncover truths the criminal justice system failed to uphold; speaks directly to the end justifies the means rhetoric. And Taxi Driver falls under the same premise -- a very well funded, managed, and established secret organization by the looks of it that avenges victims the law doesn't protect. I wonder who's behind the organization.
I love the show's concept; it's clear that a lot of thought has been put into it. So besides Lee Je-hoon, I'm most excited to have Esom back on the small screen as a fearless Prosecutor; the last drama I saw her in was The Third Charm; Kim Eui Sung in My Fellow Citizens, Pyo Ye Jin in V.I.P (I despised her in that drama, but I already like her here); and Cha Ji Yeon in Scent of a Woman (I adored this drama) and the many other brilliant actors. Choi Kyung Goo (Jang Hyuk Jin) and his brother Park Jin Eon (Bae Yoo Ram) have quickly become my favorite characters.
It's only the first two episodes, but I find myself already starting to form attachments not just to the characters but the drama itself. In its onset, it reminds me of the American series Mission Impossible, and Leverage both of which portrayed the ventures of a small team of operatives used for covert missions against dictators, evil organizations, and crime lords, not necessarily vigilante but each sought to punish criminals who slip through the cracks of the system.
I'm sure some will criticize this show for its obvious backing of vigilantism, but it's hard not to support the concept based on the first case alone; no doubt there will be a lot worse cases to come. I say vigilante justice or the grey sense of justice as some call it wouldn't have come about if lady justice had remained blindfolded -- Justice cannot and should not be one-sided; it can only be served when those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are affected. Justice is truth in action, as they say. Watch Episode 1 here.
After seeing your review, I am going to give it a try. I was not able to get any idea about this drama.