Bloody Tie on AllMovie

A disillusioned cop haunted by the execution of his partner and a midlevel drug dealer combine forces to take down the powerful kingpin who holds Busan port in the palm of his hands in director Choi Ho's violent post-noir thriller. It's two years before the turn of the century, and the South Korean economy is struggling in the wake of the International Monetary Fund crisis. The local district attorney is looking to clean the streets of the criminal element, and fearless narcotics cop Do (Hwang Jeong-min) is eager to make a name for himself on the force. In exchange for his own protection, local second-generation dealer Lee Sang-do (Ryu Seung-beom) has agreed to become an informant for Do. When word comes down that the DA's office wants to assume control over all drug-related investigations, Do convinces Sang-do to turn in his supplier with the understanding that Sang-do will be spared in the subsequent sweep. Unfortunately for both the cop and the dealer, the raid hits an unexpected hitch. Now, with Sang-do suspended from the force and Do given a stiff prison sentence, the Busan port comes under control of ruthless drug lord Jangchul (Lee Do-gyeong) -- the very man responsible for killing Do's former partner. Years later Sang-do is released from prison and Do has been reinstated on the force, drawing the pair into an uneasy alliance in which Do will watch over the informant as he works his way through the criminal ranks and gains access into Jangchul's inner circle.