Review Movie: Revolver (2024)

Revolver (2024) movie poster.

When the main character is so cool you don’t even care about the plot as long as she wins the game—that’s how I was while watching Revolver.

Our main character, Ha Su Yeong, is a former police officer. She went to jail for a corruption case, covering for her partner, superior, and accomplice. Of course not for free, as she was promised a hefty amount of money for her "sacrifice". But on her day of release, she realized that her guarantor has broken their promise and that she was left with no money and no ally. Not wanting to back down, Su Yeong began her mission to reclaim her promised prize, turning former allies into enemies and knocking on the doors of people who (might be) more powerful than her.

Ha Su Yeong, before agreeing to take the blame and go to prison.

First of all, I need you to realize how much I love the main character in this movie.

Do I care that she is a corrupted former police officer? No. Do I care that she earns her money through illegal methods and dozens of coercion attempts? Also no.

Should I care?

Probably yes, but you won’t see me reflecting over her bad deeds in this movie. She’s already done repenting, I guess, with jail time, dead lover, lost house, and ruined reputation. But even then, even with all those negative things happenings to her (and because of her), she’s still so cool. Period. Nothing matters more to me than that.

I think I wholeheartedly agree when Jung Yeon Sun, a side character in the movie, was asked what she liked most about Ha Su Yeong, and she said, “Everything.”

That’s exactly how I felt. I’m just so attracted to Ha Su Yeong that, like Jung Yeon Su, I’d follow her everywhere and trust her for anything.

No, “trust” is the wrong word. “Willing to bet on her” is probably the phrase I’m searching for. Like, I don’t have 100% guarantee that she will win, but I’m 100% sure she will get what she wants, one way or another.

Ha Su Yeong, facing Andy, the man who had promised her the money.

Throughout the movie, I was fretting at the edge of my seat, worried that she would lose not only the money, but also her life. Even in the last few minutes of the movie, even when she finally clutched that bag of cash, I kept my hands clasped in prayer because something—anything—could happen. Someone could betray her. An accident could happen. But I desperately wanted her to win.

She did win, which is fortunate. And I really liked the ending, when she simply dragged herself and her bag of money to a dock, bought some street food, and simply sat there eating and drinking while watching the sea. Nothing fancy, nothing big. It’s like she just finished her mission and decided there’s nothing else she need to do. She could breathe and continue living now, even though there’s not much she can look forward in the future—as she had left the more meaningful part of her life behind.

I’ve read some reviews on this movie and knew that many considers it disappointing. I get why people would say so: there’s not enough action, the plot doesn’t go anywhere, and the “villains” are a bit underwhelming. I do acknowledge the critics and agree that the movie is not something that I will remember as a masterpiece. But it was a movie I needed during the time I watched it—something slow, thrilling enough to keep me wanting to know what’s next, but not dense enough to make me feel overwhelmed.

Ha Su Yeong, pointing a gun to one of the people who got in her way.

It also left me thinking: Will achieving what you seek after makes your life more fulfilled?

Ha Su Yeong, I presume, would say no. Her life was already empty. The reason she could fight to the end was because she had nothing else to lose. Her reclaiming the money was more about closure. She refused to forgive and let go. She didn’t want to be left as the loser—not without trying to take back what’s hers.

Now that she had her money, does that make her life better?

Not exactly. But it’s better than nothing. While I don’t recommend committing corruption, going to prison, and blackmailing people, I do understand that sometimes we just need something to hold on to. For Su Yeong, that’s her money and her house. For many of us, a dream, an ambition, a small revenge to push us to keep living no matter how bleak the future seems to be.

Sragen, 10 May 2026