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Mercy For None is a Netflix Kdrama, which was released in June 2025, starring So Ji Sub as a man out for revenge.

Eleven years ago, Nam Gi Jun (So Ji Sub) was exiled from a prominent Seoul gang and has no interest in returning to this part of his life. That all changes when his younger brother, and chosen heir to the Ju Woon gang, Nam Gi Seok (Lee Jun Hyuk), is murdered.

Lee Ju Woon (Huh Joon Ho) and Gu Bong San (Ahn Gil Kang) have vested interest in keeping their tenuous peace in control. However, the rule they created when Gi Jun was exiled comes into question – that retaliation of the same kind is expected – and whisperings start among members. This is spearheaded by Gi Jun, who is on a rampage of revenge and neither side is safe.

The tensions are further exacerbated as Gu Jun Mo (Gong Myung), Bong San’s son, becomes a target of Gi Jun’s. Gong Myung plays this brat so well!

We’re thrust into the world of the two gangs, and there are a lot of players. I’m not going to lie, I was confused by who some people were and their affiliations or intentions, especially of those not firmly in the gangs. This became more noticeable in the second half as a whole lot of plot was suddenly thrown in, which didn’t have the time or needed build up for proper development or substance.

The characters of ‘Mr Kim’ (Cha Seung Won) and Ju Woon’s son Lee Geum Son (Choo Young Woo) could have been such interesting inclusions, but they felt underdeveloped and the pay off wasn’t as strong as I was expecting.

Now, the fight scenes, of which there were a plethora! They were well choreographed, but it mostly relied on single combat. Gi Jun sometimes faced a whole horde of people who could have easily overpowered him if they went at him all at once, but the aesthetics are more important I suppose! I will say, if you’re squeamish about blood, knives and violence, this drama may be one to skip.

Mercy For None is a very short drama. It’s only 7 episodes long and the average episode length was 45mins. This absolutely plays into the already established tropes of the genre and doesn’t go in any direction that was shocking or unforeseeable. However, the fight scenes and tenacity of Gi Jun kept me hooked. So Ji Sub was fantastic and played Gi Jun with such a silent rawness. It also has a lot of actors you would expect to see in this kind of drama, which includes some attractive ahjusshi’s 🤭

While the ending is understated, I thought it was beautifully shot and a satisfying conclusion to Gi Jun’s revenge.

Overall, nothing to write home about, but was fun and had me invested. Just a word of warning, when this drama says ‘Mercy for None’, it truly means it.

my rating: 3.5⭐

director: Choi Sung Eun

screenwriter: Yoo Ki Seong,

network: Netflix

images: HanCinema

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What were your thoughts on Mercy For None? Thanks for reading!

I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe 💕