SBS 금토드라마 'Taxi Driver3' is drawing attention day after day with its unparalleled gallery of villains.
SBS 금토드라마 'Taxi Driver3' (written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Kang Bo-seung) is a private revenge agency drama about the taxi company Rainbow Transportation, shrouded in mystery, and taxi driver Kim Do-gi completing revenge on behalf of wronged victims. Riding on the success of previous seasons, the third season of 'Taxi Driver3' combines a solid universe and story, film-like direction, and vivid performances that complete the world, with actors' passionate performances, earning praise that the chemistry between the writer, director and actors is unprecedented.
Having passed the midpoint, 'Taxi Driver3' is flaunting the stature of the 'Taxi Driver' series with an unstoppable box office run. Based on episode 8 ratings, 'Taxi Driver3' broke its own season 3 records with a peak of 15.6%, 12.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 12.3% nationwide. Also, the 20-49 ratings, used as indicators of topicality and channel competitiveness, rose to an average of 4.1% and a peak of 5.19%, making it the number one program across all channels in December. (Provided by Nielsen Korea) Furthermore, on Netflix, which handles domestic OTT services, it ranked first among non-original works, and in the FUNdex released by Good Data Corporation for the second week of December, it held the integrated TV category top spot for four consecutive weeks, cementing an uncontested run at the box office.
One reason for the 'Taxi Driver3' fever is the season-3-only gallery of villains. Because the 'Taxi Driver' series is an episodic drama, not only the 'Rainbow Heroes' who lead the whole story—Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon), CEO Jang (Kim Eui-sung), Ko Eun (Pyo Ye-jin), Chief Choi (Jang Hyuk-jin), Assistant Park (Bae Yoo-ram)—but also the clients and villains in each episode are part of the structure that draws attention. In particular, antagonists who confront the protagonist Do-gi can be considered the other protagonist of each episode. Accordingly, 'Taxi Driver3' differentiated itself from previous seasons by casting so-called lead-level actors as the villains in each episode.
The gallery of villains in 'Taxi Driver3', which began with anticipation, turned into conviction after the broadcast began. The first to kick things off was Japan's trending actor Kasamatsu Sho. Appearing as 'Matsuda,' the head of an illegal Japanese loan shark organization engaged in international human trafficking, Kasamatsu Sho delicately and weightily portrayed a cynical side that does not trust people and the barbaric aspect of a yakuza boss, instantly raising the drama's immersion.
Taking the baton, Yoon Shi-yoon played Cha Byung-jin, a former lawyer and the head of a used-car fraud cartel, displaying a chilling and intense presence. In particular, Yoon Shi-yoon, who went so far as to undergo extreme weight loss for the character, drew rave reviews immediately after the broadcast such as "I couldn't recognize Yoon Shi-yoon," and "I didn't know Yoon Shi-yoon could pull off a villain so well."
And Eom Moon-seok, who appeared in the most recent episodes 5–8, delivered a passionate performance as Cheon Gwang-jin, the worst psychopath who perpetrates all kinds of evils such as illegal gambling and match-fixing, murder, secret burial of bodies, and incestuous crimes. Especially fitting as the main villain of a large episode composed of as many as four parts, Eom Moon-seok topped it off with chilling madness, heightening the catharsis of the righteous education carried out by the 'Rainbow Heroes.'
With the performances of Kasamatsu Sho, Yoon Shi-yoon, and Eom Moon-seok drawing attention to the 'Taxi Driver3' villain casting, Jang Na-ra is next in line. Jang Na-ra will play Kang Joo-ri, an entertainment agency CEO who used to be in a girl group, and portray the twisted inner self and greed hidden behind the face of a successful businessperson. Since Jang Na-ra has long been loved for her lovable and warm image, her challenge with a villain role is truly a "reverse casting." There is growing curiosity about what Jang Na-ra, who will be taking on her first villain role since debut, will show and how she will continue the gallery of villains in 'Taxi Driver3.'
[Photo] Provided by SBS
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