Binge-worthy: Action K-drama “No Way Out: The Roulette” turns murder into a game

No way out: Roulette

Disney+
★★★☆☆

How much money would tempt someone to kill? In the South Korean action thriller “No Way Out: The Roulette,” a masked man holds the nation captive by offering large sums of money to those willing to inflict physical harm on criminals in a dangerous game of roulette.

When notorious rapist and murderer Kim Guk-ho (Yoo Jae-myung) is released from prison after 13 years, the masked man puts a murder contract on Guk-ho and has put a bounty of 20 billion won (19.6 million Singapore dollars) on his head.

Corrupt police officer Baek Joong-sik (Jo Jin-woong) reluctantly takes on the job of protecting the unrepentant and sullen Guk-ho, while a rotating roster of shady characters try to exploit the chaos of the roulette game to their advantage.

Here are three reasons to tune into series streaming on Disney+.

1. Crowded and busy area

You can't accuse No Way Out: The Roulette of being slow-moving. The eight-parter kicks off with an intriguing premise—with a similar flair to Netflix's Squid Game (2021 to present)—and a thrilling opening action sequence.

There are many plot lines involving many characters that drag the story into unexpected twists and turns – the public angry at the release of a heinous criminal; the mayor who wants to exploit the anger at Guk-ho to secure votes; the ambitious lawyer who offers Guk-ho his services; and the anguish of Guk-ho's son Dong-ha (Sung Yoo-bin), a violinist struggling to escape the stigma of being the child of a murderer.

Not every storyline is flawlessly executed, but the series is packed with unexpected twists that keep the plot moving at full speed.

2. A policeman with a secret