Of course, we all saw Chuno (2010) before watching Robber (2008), but I wonder how many non-Asian viewers were able to recognize Lee Da-Hae as the female lead in both these series. I was not. Once an actress has a different hairstyle and is cast in a role on modern life (as opposed to a period drama), I can no loner identify her. This proves not only how versatile these actors are, but also how important costumes and make-up are in movies. What is more, these dramas are so carefully wrought that seeing them 10 or 15 years after they were released (which is my case with Robber - I saw it in 2021!) still brings surprise and force on the table, whether the theme is recycled or not.
Robber (2008) is an underrated K drama which presents love in more than one sense: there's mother love, there's sister love, there's gay secret and sacrificial love, there's requited love, unrequited love, all these and more than these.
The film begins so funnily that you find yourself laughing out loud, unawares, but as it progresses, it becomes more and more dramatic that during the last episodes you can't help crying. It is incredible (and probably unrealistic) how the main character ends up being paradoxically loved, even adored, by everyone around him, despite the robbing he repeatedly commits. I think one of the best adaptations of the original title (romanized Bulhandang) I have come across is Robber of Hearts, because he robs everybody not only of their money, but also of their hearts, as he had been robbed of his life in the past and is now forced to live off others all the time. What a role for Jang Hyuk!
