Descendants of Hong Gil Dong is a lighthearted action/comedy about a family of thieves. By day the Hongs is an ideal family. Moo-hyeok (Lee Beom Soo) is a high school music teacher, his father is a professor, his mother is the perfect housewife, and younger brother is a typical high school student.
Being Descendants of Hong Gil Dong, who was a Korean Robin Hood of the Joseon Era, this model family have a dark secret. Like their ancestor, the family robs from the rich and gives to the poor. One of their favorite victims is the corrupt businessman Lee Jeong-min (Kim Soo Ro). Actually his family has been victimized by the Hongs for generations.
Living a double life is not easy, especially when Moo-hyeok found out that his girlfriend Yeon-hwa (Lee Si Young) is the sister of Public Prosecutor Jae-pil (Sung Dong Il). The couple provided a couple of laughs but what’s funnier was when Moo Hyeok disguised his voice when speaking with the prosecutor.
Things turned complicated when Jeong-min learned that his secretary (played by the alluring Ko Eun Mi) was working for the Descendants of Hong Gil Dong and lead to her death because she chose to protect their secret. This led to an unlikely alliance of the Hongs and Public Prosecutor Jae Pil.
What happens next is exactly what I’ve predicted but you’ll find yourself laughing and enjoying the action all throughout the movie. Just don’t be distracted by Kim Soo Ro’s tracksuits, which he once wore in one episode of Family Outing.
Descendants of Hong Gil Dong relied on slapstick comedy to provide the laughs and it succeeded in that part. It’s a good movie to watch with the whole family. It is two hours full of humor, action, suspense and romance. It’s a must-see, even though you haven’t seen the original TV series.
