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Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

Quick Take: Strongest Deliveryman (2017), starring Go Kyung-pyo and Chae Soo-bin. 9.3/10. Sixteen 70-minute episodes

Synopsis: The story is classic David vs Goliath. The businesses in a Seoul “food alley” of small mom-and-pop restaurants are being run out of a business by competition from a soulless corporation. The food alley fights back under the leadership of Choi Kang-Su. Kang-su has been working as a food delivery driver in Seoul for five years and has made like 300 good friends among the other drivers by following his motto, “Be nice.” (Also Work Hard and Don’t Give Up.). Being nice helps him to unite the food delivery drivers, the restaurant owners, the building owners, and a bank to all work together and save the day. Along the way he wins the heart of Lee Dan-ah and three secondary couples find each other as well.

Review: After sampling a couple of other choices, I decided to watch Strongest Deliveryman because I liked Go Kyung-Pyo in the role of the ghost in Chicago Typewriter. I also liked the chance to see something of the lives of the Korean working class. The one percent are pretty much the same the world over — big houses, fancy cars, etc. Ordinary people are much more interesting.

Classic as the plot may be, Strongest Deliveryman is not a cliche`. The character of Kang-su is central but the story emphasizes that it takes a village. He could not have succeeded without his network of friends. Did David have the support of hundreds of loyal friends, collected over years? No. One lucky shot and done. Well, it’s not so easy for Kang-su. His adversary keeps finding new and creative ways to bring him down. Still, he perseveres. Good chemistry between the two leads, too.

Democratic social reform is an unexpected element in a K-drama. Capitalism is as revered in South Korea as it is in the US, so it’s refreshing to hear Kang-su insist that the little people have to stick together and fight together, to defeat the greedy evil corporation — and law enforcement is on the side with money and power, so no help there. Admittedly they are working within the system, not trying to reform it. But still.

Go Kyung-pyo is perfect for the role of a role model. First of all, he just looks like a mensch. Second, props to make-up and costumes, because Kang-soo looks for all the world like a scruffy street kid, in stretched-out t-shirts and a crazy curly mop of hair. Seriously, the hair.

I always look for insights into Korean life and culture. A field trip to a seaside town allows us a glimpse of scars and relics left by the Korean War. Deliveryman also shows the everyday lives of struggling young people in Seoul. They share small apartments, several people to a room, which isn’t as crowded as you might think because there’s almost no furniture. Beds are just quilts on the floor, one over and one under, that are rolled up during the day. Otherwise they sit on the bare floor to chat, or sometimes they eat or drink around a coffee-table high table. Dan-ah does her studying sitting on the floor at a low desk. Koreans sink quickly and gracefully to the floor. They make it look easy. Older people don’t get up quite as smoothly as the young folk.

Recommended.

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 9, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 6. Bonus for good chemistry between the leads and social justice themes.

Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 9, Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 6. Bonus for good chemistry between the leads and social justice themes.

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