All In 올인 becomes the thirty-fifth drama I watched. Sometimes it's fun to pick out an old, but classic drama to watch. I had seen several dramas in which many of the actors and actresses from All In would subsequently take main leads in. The main lead is played by Lee Byung Hun, who would later play the lead in IRIS. The female lead is Song Hye Kyo, from both Autumn Tale and Full House. The other male lead is Ji Sung, who I recently watched in Protect the Boss. The secondary female lead is Winter Sonata's Park Sol Mi. Even the characters outside the main cast are familiar to me. The girl who plays Song Hye Kyo's younger version is Han Ji Min, who would take a main role in Resurrection. Fueki Yuko would reunite with Lee Byung Hun six years later in IRIS. Lee Deok Hwa and Park Sang Myun from History of the Salaryman are also important characters in All In. Aside from these last two who were already seniors in the acting industry, All In would become one a stepping stone for their acting careers.
Kim Inha (Lee Byung Hun) grew up running around with his uncle, helping him cheat at cards. After another trip out, Inha and his uncle board a train home. Aboard the train, Inha meets Min Sooyeon (Song Hye Kyo) who catches his interest. Inha returns to attending high school, where he meets Choi Jungwon (Ji Sung). Jungwon is a model student from a wealthy family. Sooyeon's father is in debt problems with local gangsters. Inha's uncle takes Sooyeon's father to a gambling house to get enough money to solve the debt. However, on his way home, Sooyeon's father is stopped by the gangsters and is killed. When Inha finds out that the gangsters took Sooyeon, Inha and his friends go after the gangsters to rescue her. While escaping, one of Inha's friends is caught by the gangsters. Just when Inha's friend manages to flee, he is caught between the gangsters and an oncoming train. He has no choice but to leap off the overpass, leaving him disabled for life. In a spark of vengeance, Inha and Jungwon return to the gangster's warehouse to set it on fire. Unknowingly, they kill the gangsters' boss. Inha and Jungwon are arrested. Jungwon's wealthy father bails his son out, but Inha has no one to ask for help. Inha sentenced to prison for seven years. Jungwon moves to the States to study. With nowhere left to go, Sooyeon is taken in by the church and becomes a nun. Seven years later, Inha is released and finds a job at a high end casino on Jeju Island. The casino is owned by Seo Jinhee's (Park Sol Mi) father, an acquaintance of Jungwon. Jungwon helps run the casino after returning from the States. Sooyeon withdraws from becoming a nun and becomes a dealer at the same casino. Unable to leave his dark past, Inha will have to do anything he can to protect his loved ones from those holding a grudge against Inha.
The feel of All In is very, very dark. Many of the scenes are not intended to be funny. In fact, the scenes are all filled with a lot of tension. Typically in dramas, the main conflict among the main characters is over love interests. In the case of All In, there is minimal conflict between love interests until nearly halfway into the drama. Even so, I would say it takes up only a small portion. Instead, the focus on the drama is split between Inha dealing with his past hardships and the casino businesses between Jungwon and Jinhee's fathers. Quite honestly, the scenes dealing with the casino businesses were pretty boring at times since I preferred to watch the storyline relating to Inha and Sooyeon. Part of the story includes Inha and Jonggoo fleeing to the States. The interactions they have with the Americans without any ability to speak English was just like watching parts of Fashion King. After seeing Lee Byung Hun's acting in All In, there is little surprise over how he was chosen to be the lead for IRIS. If the differences in plots that affect the characters' backgrounds are disregarded, IRIS's Hyunjoon and All In's Inha are arguably very similar. It is interesting to know Lee Byung Hun's English in All In was just as good as when he acted in IRIS and in Hollywood. It's certainly better than the chopped up English I've heard in other dramas. All In is the third drama I've watched with Song Hye Kyo. Her fluency in Japanese and English is outstanding and really enjoyable to watch.
The soundtrack for All In is full of sad ballads, as expected of such a tragic drama. On my first listen, I thought Sooyeon's orgel was just a melody. Midway through the drama, I realized it was a simplified version of the ending theme from every episode. This song is "Just Like the First Day 처음 그 날처럼". My other favorite song from All In is "I'm Alright 괜찮아요 난".
All In is perhaps the most intense drama I've ever watched. I was so sure the ending would be a crazy and sad surprise. Luckily, All In did a fantastic job concluding the drama of all loose ends with a satisfying ending. I would classify All In as both a melodrama and action thriller. The tragic feel to All In is at the same level with Winter Sonata and Autumn Tale. Similarly, the action thriller feel is on par to that of IRIS and City Hunter. It's especially good for those who aren't looking for a drama heavily filled with romance. The tragic story can really take a toll on the viewer, but it's seriously worth it. I definitely recommend All In as a good drama to check out.
