First Stills from Action Sageuk 추노 (Slave Hunters)

If the economic crisis hit Chungmuro particularly in terms of investor confidence, it pretty much turned Korean TV into a wasteland made of third rate dramas, cobbled together for the sole purpose of scoring in the ratings, quality becoming a rather unwelcome afterthought. After enjoying one of its best years ever (2007) and following with one of the worst (2008), 2009 would have nearly repeated the abysmal feats of last year, were it not for a couple of gems - mostly the genial Korean War black comedy 경숙이 경숙아버지 (My Dad Loves Trouble), and Kwak Kyung-Taek's glorious drama rendition of his 2001 hit 친구 (Friend). But if there's anything promising about 2010, it's that the two best producers in the country, Kim Jin-Min and Kwak Jung-Hwan, will come back. First in line is Kwak, the madly talented PD behind 2007's masterpiece 한성별곡-正 (Conspiracy in the Court), for what seems like another hard hitting historical drama.

Written by Cheon Seong-Il of 7급 공무원 (My Girlfriend is an Agent), 추노 (Slave Hunters) stars Jang Hyuk, Lee Da-Hae and Oh Ji-Ho, and tells the story of, guess what, professional hunters, going after their "prey" (slaves on the run!), with politics, social commentary (we're dealing with mid-Joseon, right after the Manchu invasion), and of course metric tons of action to boot. We'll get plenty more chances to talk about this in the next 3-4 months, but let's just say the first stills look quite promising, oozing a rather 東邪西毒 (Ashes of Time)-like feel. And we're in good hands, with Kwak at the helm.