User reviews

I usually watch Kim Nam Gil with playful and funny character. Here in this movie all his funny and playfulness are completely gone. He becomes very serious , persistent, and meticulous person. This proves that he worked hard to animate this character.

This is very serious drama unlike other korean drama that usually combine romantic and comedy into the movie to make more enjoyable to more people. I believe some persons might get bored to watch this. It is very idealistic. No romantic, no fun, nothing but thrill and suspense.

I think it will be classic. I don't think this kind of drama will arise again in 5 - 10 years from now.

A captivating and binge worthy detective drama series, this is the Korean version of the hit series Mindhunter. Everything about this is on point. Amazing acting, script, cinematography, soundtrack and overall production value. Pretty much as good as it gets.

Also called "Though the Darkness." The name is apt for the journey the main protagonist has to undergo. Criminal profiling is quite a difficult job as this show reveals. Nam-gil Kim effortlessly carries the plot with his quiet demeanor and focus.

It's interesting to see how the relationships among the detectives grow and how their approach to investigations develop. Shoutout to the director, Park Bo-Ram, who created a crime drama set in the late 90s that is believable.

This show is definitely among the best true crime stories that have emerged from South Korea. Highly recommended.

Many compared Through the Darkness to the US series Mindhunter. Though they share some elements, they are completely different shows. One focuses on the mind of serial killers. This one focuses on the psychology of profilers.

They could not have found a better actor to portray an empath. And they couldn't have written a better script to profile the empath archetype: quiet, introverted, loner with few social connections. It's downright eerie how well the empath type was depicted. This personality type takes every emotion they're exposed to onto themselves. If they're not careful, their burden will consume them.

By contrast, the serial killers' stories were deliberately made crass and vulgar to underscore the banality of evil.

If you're going into this with a 'Korean Mindhunter' mindset, you'll likely be disappointed, like so many other commenters. But if you like intense psychological exploration, this is the show for you.

One of his best performance! Kim Nam-gil never disappoints his fans and even non-fans. This guy is really something. He truly deserve that Daesang award. He was outstanding in this drama. And the drama, as a fan of crime, psychological thriller dramas, this is a masterpiece. Perfect casting. Great cinematography. Great work from the writers and director. I watched this drama straight and completed it in a day. Mind-blowing. It deserves a standing ovation! My second favorite psycohological thriller drama after Beyond Evil. If you are fond of those kinds of scenes, this is definitely a must-watch.

A very well put together 12 part series covering some horrific crimes in South Korea. Set in 1990 up to 2007 and based on a book of experiences of a famous Korean Profiler. Over 12 episodes it charts their infancy as a behavioural unit and the lack of support , funding or understanding from their police colleagues as to their relevance to each investigation. Hard to watch at times when some of the crimes were being recounted by the killers. I can imagine the real profilers didn't have an easy job. Superb cast in this with some familiar faces and a few new ones. The 2 male profiler leads are outstanding !!! Their facial expressions and studious examination of each case just pulls you in and you are rooting for them to catch the killer. I really hope there is a second series. We'll done everyone. Superb series !!!

Do you need to watch something REAL?

Look no further. How does it feel to be a detective? Through the 12 episodes you will travel with the best mind in this series.

The lead character is a Korean sherlock mind hunter who will take you through the thinking and the analysis which is what makes this series stand out from the other ones like mind hunter or many other crime thriller. You will be thinking about how they solve these cases without not much lead. But you see some brilliant deductive skills, behavioral analysis, quick wit thinking to capture, instinct and also come across great acting by both protagonist and antagonists.

Spend 12 to 13 hours of your life to enjoy this masterpiece.....

'Those Who Reads the Hearts of Evil' approaches crime genre in fresher way. Rather than focusing on thriller of catching a crime and investing time in evil's point of view, it emphasizes more on how crimes affect mindset of those who pursue the evil 'after' criminals get caught. The director succeeds in fixating viewers to stay concentrated during long takes of interrogation, making it 'feel' brief and interesting. Sometimes interview with serial killers is hard to watch not because it it is boring but because it is intensely realistic. It is so shocking and nauseous that much evil can exist in one person.

Dramas and events in the series are roller-coaster and appalling throughout, but narrative and style remain calm, organized, and controlled. It is the main reason that audience can keep watching the show non-stop without getting tired or burdened. Great balance to make a show captivating and consistent at the same time.

It's almost impossible to not compare the two shows to each other, as this basically feels like a Korean version of Mindhunter.

We get to see how the first "profilers" make an emergence in solving crimes, we get the old guard scoffing at these new "brainy" guys and their weird antics, we get the interviews with the serial killers to find out what makes them tick, and using all the intelligence they have garnered to catch new ones running amock.

Because of all the simmilarities, it's also impossible to not compare the two shows. And while "Those who read the Hearts of Evil" is an entertaining show as well on it's own, "Mindhunter" is the one which ends up on top in my opinion. And by seeing how one does it better, it also makes you notice how the other does it worse in certain aspects.

This is a more sensationalised version. There are more extreme coincidences, there are more crazed serial killers, there's more drama shown by the characters. While Mindhunter feels more like they want to show a realistic almost documentary like show, this one feels almost more like they wanted to make a stretched out Hollywood movie.

And there's nothing wrong with that. This was an entertaining time waster.

This series is about the establishment of a criminal profiling department within the police force. It shows the struggles the department faced in gaining acceptance within the force and the cases that they investigated which established their reputation. The teams star is an introvert with issues of his own but his brilliance is being able to enter the mind of killers and identify some of their traits. It is well acted by the full cast and the story mainly concentrates on serial killers and looking into what drives some of them. I find stories of this nature depressing as the murderers represented actually exist and random killing is so difficult to solve, therefore I am thankful people exist who can assist capture of them.

Korean Drama " Through The Darkness " is a chronicle of criminal cases through the lenses of a homicide team.

The drama has some interesting aspects, like the first few criminal cases. But, quickly, it became predictable and messy. Especially messy due to the time jumps that got confusing and tiring. The entertaining factor got less and less with the episode as well.

The performances, on the other hand, were all pretty great and aided the drama a lot, mainly since the main characters were dominating the scenes.

The cinematography, on the other hand, was messing the timeline.

So, overall, 4 out of 10.

This series have logic behind every scene and actions.... those who are searching the best series in which emotions, thriller, suspense, action... so you should definitely watch this series... you will never skip any second of this series..

No pun intended of course ... this is supposed to be leaving Netflix at the end of the month, so I thought I'd give it a watch. Am surprised to find out, there might be more episodes actually. But I don't think they will sway my mind to what I saw ... make it better or worse is what I mean. You have quite a few cases here ... and the main characters do their best to find out the truth.

The episodes are quite well structured and you get a lot of interesting characters ... I am not sure how much of the cases are completely based in reality, but I assume there is at least some truth in them. As we very well know truth is stranger than fiction. I liked the mysteries, but some of the crimes might very well get under your skin (no pun intended)

Love historical dramas like this as it shows how social values changed over time, how people start to believe in science more and more to give them answers rather than relying on habits and prejudices. The plot is suspenseful from beginning to end, but there's a lot of humour in it as well. The characters seem more realistic that way because they each have their virtues and vices. The portrayal of the many friendships is so heartwarming, especially when the subject matter is so dark and horrifying.

The best TV dramas should have an airtight plot, convincing character development, top-notch acting, clever dialogue and an effective film score that enhances each scene. This dramas has all of these things.

Now that Netflix's Mindhunter is cancelled, Through the Darkness is the next best thing.

I'm actually quite fond of serial killing dramas. When it comes to real incident or real serial killers, my excitement gets higher. This drama highlights the notorious serial killers of korean history and also a new department of police named "Behaviour Analysis ''.

The behaviour Analysis department members who are called profilers, analyze serial killer behaviour that helps to narrow down the suspect list and helps to catch the serial killers.

There are 5 serial killers through out the whole drama. These are red cap serial killer, butcher serial killer,elderly couple serial killer, random serial killer,car serial killer.

Each story is interesting but I'm shocked to learn how these killers thinks. They do it for their enjoyment. I know,it's a drama but still it's based on true events.

If I talk about the drama then I have to say, it was very intense which was a cause of irritation at times. Drama could have tried to show everything in a different way, could have add some spices. Even 12 episodes seems too much to me. I watched this drama in 10 days, I could not take these seriousness. Too much seriousness was a source of irritation.

The show is the Korean version of Mindhunter, which itself was a very good show in Netflix. They copied almost everything, including the interview scenes, the two guys driving to prison, etc.

This show is pretty good because it tells about real serial murderer cases, which always fascinated people.

However, while the show is about the rise of criminal profiler in Korea and many times the show tried to exaggerate the greatness of the profiler team in the show, I cannot find their greatness. More over, most of the bad guys in the show were caught either by luck or traditional police works, which again failed to show the greatness of the profilers they tried to paint in this series.

It will be a greater show, if it is not trying too hard to make the profilers as the superheroes, which it cannot show, too.

Copyright? "Mind Hunter" the Original!

The story is a bad copy of the famous American Crime series, the original one is very good!

Mindhunter : " Catching a criminal often requires the authorities to get inside the villain's mind to figure out how he thinks. That's the job of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench. They attempt to understand and catch serial killers by studying their damaged psyches. Along the way, the agents pioneer the development of modern serial-killer profiling. The crime drama has a strong pedigree behind the camera, with Oscar-nominated director David Fincher and Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron among the show's executive producers..."

On the other note, the series portray Korean Crime Investigation as no integrity, made up of incompetent individuals who follow no protocols on safety of their own and investigations, is full of 'conflict of interest'... etc.

The show is a slow starter and I struggled through the first episode. I also don't think the synopsis gives the right idea on what it is about, hence it did not meet my initial expectations.

The acting is solid and the cases are quite well selected. The profilers are also presented much more realistically instead of the classic American way of making them magicians or superheroes who can catch any criminal anyplace.

However, the mentor- talented recruit relationship, as well as the personal development of the lead character, are so similar to "Mindhuner" (2017-2019), it feels uncomfortable to watch.

The story of the Crime Analysis division is also quite close to what was happening at the FBI in the late 1970's, when profiling was being introduced by FBI Special Agent John Douglas aka Holden Ford from "Mindhunter".

For the sake of it, I would also note a storyline with a misused police ID card the show creators seem to have simply dropped just because it did not have it in "Mindhunter".

Still, I would rather watch two interpretations of one great story than a hundred senseless blunders, so I do not regret seeing the series.

A well done show which combines good acting, intelligent screenplay, (very) good development, emotional moments and politeness true to the KR culture, but at the same time lacking in pace, vibe, flow and "liveliness".

Everything is good, well shown and depicted in a sort of dull way. 60+ minutes episodes where some dragging and lengthiness are the king.

All the stories (regardless based on real events or not) are definitely shocking, plus shooting emotional scenes is always an advantage of Korean TV shows and films.

These should've already paved a smooth walkpath to an eye-catching show. However, for a couple of times I really felt like not wishing to proceed to the next episode. The production is overall still very good, but I think the way this story being told is not showing focus and the pace feels a bit off.

Overall, it's a good production, I know what it tries to say and what it wants the audience to feel, but not engaging enough.

PS: really like the different role that actor Jin Seon-kyu plays in this show than his fried chicken cop in Extreme Job.

This is watchable but not without ff through a lot of it, it starts out good but after five episodes it's the same ole same ole, they needed to do something with KIM SO JIN character i mean she's one of if not the most beautiful Korean actresses ive seen and they left her with a simple role, needed to pry into her life and had some connection with the male lead other than chit chat, good acting by all average writing but its not silly thank GOD.

Actually 6.5 stars but I chose to round down the number.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was set in the late 1990s to early 2000s and South Korea's criminal profiling wasn't as advanced as the west. I found myself feeling just as frustrated as the characters because they had such a difficult time catching the serial killers. The plot in Part 1 was good but I found Part 2 a little boring and I fell asleep several times while watching.

The cast was amazing though and the characters were well written, especially the criminals and antagonists. I also liked the character development of the main cast and how they eventually understood each other and grew closer as they worked on more cases together. By the end of the show, they were a united front, compared to the fragmented pieces at the start.