Believer (2018 South Korean film)

Won-ho is a police detective attempting to bring down Asia's biggest drug cartel run by a man called Mr. Lee. He has been seen by no one, and as a result, a lot of drug dealers have been posing as him to conduct illegal trades. One day, when Won-ho is approached by Oh Yeon-ok, who has recently survived an explosion intended to kill her, Won-ho's team arrives at the site and finds a survivor. When he is admitted to the hospital and tries to escape to find out about the fate of his mom and pet dog, the police catch him and make him speak the truth. He is revealed to be Rak, a former member of Lee's gang. Won-ho takes him to his dog and reveals his mother to be dead, making Rak team up with the police to seek revenge against the boss responsible for his mother's death and the dog's poor condition. Rak and Won-ho arrange a meeting with Ha-rim, who poses to be Mr. Lee. While establishing a fake business with him, Won-ho learns his lines and eventually disguises himself just like Ha-rim, posing as Mr. Lee as Rak arranges a meeting between him and Park Sun-Chang, a criminal aspiring to work with Mr. Lee. Won-ho imitates Ha-rim and tricks Park Sun-Chang into believing he is Mr. Lee. However, Sun-Chang offers him his drug, and unable to refuse, Won-ho has to snort it. The drug shows its side effects but his team saves him. Won-ho and his team get the drug materials from Ha-rim and Rak takes them to two mute drug makers, Dong-Young and Joo-Young. As they produce drugs, a new criminal named Director Brian comes into play. Won-ho watches him from a distance and discovers Rak's real identity as an adopted child of a family. Brian thrashes Sun-chang for meeting him in person, while Ha-rim's girlfriend Bo-Ryung arrives on the spot as Won-ho and Rak are taking away the manufactured drugs, kidnapping them both. They are taken to Ha-rim and a prolonged fight ensues, resulting in Won-ho getting injured and Ha-rim getting killed by Rak, while one of Won-ho's team members gets killed in an explosion at the drug manufacturing site. The drug consumption kills Bo-ryoung. Despite being disappointed by their team member's death, Won-ho reprepares his team to catch Brian, whom he suspects to be Mr. Lee. As they arrive at the site, Sun-chang takes Rak to a room, gagging to kill him. Fully convinced that Brian is not but posing to be Lee, Won-ho and his assistant officer break into a fight with Brian and his henchmen. Won-ho's team arrives to arrest the criminals, but as Rak kidnaps Brian, only to reveal himself to be the real Mr. Lee, he severely wounds him with the help of his mute friends after making his condition similar to his dog. It is also revealed that Brian was the one responsible for the explosion that killed Rak's mother. An injured Won-ho searches for both Rak and Brian, only to find the latter severely wounded. He goes back to find Rak's dog missing. It is then revealed that Won-ho found out the dog's real name was Laika, while trying to communicate with it. Rak had faked its name to be Jindo but had named their drug after its dog. Eventually, Won-ho tracks Rak down with the help of a GPS device he had planted on Laika and finds him living with the mute drug makers. As Won-ho is fully aware that Rak is Mr. Lee, who is now officially declared dead, the latter offers him coffee as they both sit down to drink, with their guns on the table. Won-ho asks Rak if he has ever been happy in his life, before the camera moves outside the house and a gunshot is heard. The deaf-mute drug makers play unaware. The film's original ending leaves it unclear who has been shot, though the extended cut and 2023 sequel reveal it to be Rak. The extended cut ends with a bloody Won-ho leaving the house. ==Cast==