If you love movies that take you into the inner workings of the criminal underworld, a new movie in the Netflix charts might have piqued your interest.
While the streaming service's no. 1 watch remains Mark Mylod's dark thriller "The Menu" (as of the time of writing, at least), Netflix has just added a new original crime thriller which has quickly crept into the top 10.
The movie in question is Kim Seong-je's "Bogotá: City of the Lost", a Korean crime thriller that takes us to the titular Colombian capital, where a newly-arrived family is quickly sucked into the city's black market trade.
The movie only arrived on February 3, but it's already sitting at the No. 6 spot, behind "Back in Action" and "American Renegades" but ahead of Robert Zemeckis' "Here."
If you've spotted "Bogotá: City of the Lost" in the Netflix charts and were wondering whether to stream it, here's a little more info about the
What is 'Bogotá: City of the Lost' about?
Kim Seong-je's "Bogotá: City of the Lost" is a South Korean crime thriller that follows 19-year-old Kook-hee (Song Joong-ki), a young Korean man who moves with his family to Bogotá, Columbia.
That new beginning doesn't exactly get off to a great start; the family is robbed by a thief on a motorcycle, who speeds away with a satchel containing their life savings just after they land.
With the better life, they dreamed of suddenly stolen away, Kook-hee is put to work in the criminal underworld, getting another shot at success, and we follow him across the years as he starts to rise through the ranks.
In addition to Joong-ki, "Bogotá" also stars Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Jong-soo, Cho Hyun-chul, Lim Seongjae, and Jeong Jong-jun.
Should you stream 'Bogotá: City of the Lost' on Netflix?
If you're desperate for a new crime thriller, Bogotá" might just scratch that itch, but I wouldn't necessarily say it should jump to the top of your Netflix watchlist, either.
Kook-hee makes for a decent protagonist from the off and seeing him changed by the world around him is engaging enough, but it's also not the most novel watch, either.
Our guy starts at rock bottom, develops the ambition to rise to the top, and encounters plenty of trouble on his journey to the top. It's entertaining enough, there are twists in store, and I appreciated the film's comic edge, but it also sticks to the familiar beats and tropes of the crime genre, and I doubt I'll remember the specifics of this story for very long.
Need a second opinion? Well, "Bogota" is a little too new to land a score on the review, aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes, there are still a few reactions to the "Bogotá" online — though they aren't all that positive.
Reviewing the movie for Ready Steady Cut, for example, Jonathan Wilson called "Bogotá" "depth-averse, chaotic, clunky, cliched, and oddly sterile," adding: "This is a film with very little going on, and nothing you haven’t seen done before and better."
Similarly, Decider's John Serba liked the movie's premise more than the execution, arguing that ""Bogotá: City of the Lost" doesn’t quite fulfill its potential", adding: "It’s easier to appreciate the keenly twisty plot, but the film’s lack of character depth leaves us feeling less emotionally engaged, more observers to a series of ridiculous and tragic shenanigans."
If you're in the market for a new crime thriller, you can stream "Bogotá" on Netflix now. But if you'd prefer to hunt for something else instead, we can still help. Be sure to check out our guide to the best Netflix movies you can watch right now for tons more streaming recommendations.
