Quick Facts
| Title | Believer 2 (2023) |
| Release Date | October 5, 2023 (Busan International Film Festival); November 17, 2023 (Netflix) |
| Director | Baek Jong-yul (also credited as Baik) |
| Composer | Primary (Choi Dong-hoon) |
| Genre | Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
| Runtime | 116 minutes |
Believer 2 (2023) is a South Korean action-crime thriller directed by Baek Jong-yul (credited in some releases as Jong-Yeol Baek, and professionally as “Baik”). It is a sequel to the 2018 hit Believer, itself a Korean adaptation of Johnnie To’s Drug War.
Release date: November 17, 2023 (Netflix)
Genre: Crime, Drama, & Thriller
Movie Info: Detective Jo Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong) resumes his search for “Rak,” who vanished after Brian’s incarceration, while digging deeper into the core of an elusive drug cartel run by the shadowy Mr. Lee. Along the way he becomes entangled with two of the organization’s most dangerous figures, Brian Lee and a brutal new enforcer known as Big Knife.
Believer 2 Cast
- Cho Jin-woong as Jo Won-ho: the persistent narcotics detective who has spent years tracking the drug organization, reprising his role from the 2018 original.
- Cha Seung-won as Brian Lee: a hidden power player in the organization who impersonated “Mr. Lee” in the first film, also reprising his role.
- Han Hyo-joo as Big Knife (Seob So-cheon): a new character in the sequel, described as Mr. Lee’s closest associate and enforcer.
- Oh Seung-hoon as Seo Young-rak: a member of the organization who helped Won-ho’s investigation before disappearing; the character was played by Ryu Jun-yeol in the original film.
- Kim Dong-young as Manko and Lee Joo-young as Rona: deaf, mute siblings who cook drugs for the cartel.
- Tzi Ma as Mr. Lee, and Byun Yo-han as Jin Ha-rim, a Chinese-Korean drug lord previously played by the late Kim Joo-hyuk in the 2018 film.
Who directed and composed the music for Believer 2?
Baek Jong-yul worked as a visual artist and advertisement director before moving into film. His feature directing debut, the romantic comedy The Beauty Inside (2015) starring Han Hyo-joo, won him Best New Director at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards. Believer 2 is only his second narrative feature.
The score was composed by Primary, the stage name of South Korean hip-hop musician and producer Choi Dong-hoon. Active since 2004 and formerly signed to Amoeba Culture, Primary is known for chart-topping collaborations with Dynamic Duo, Zion.T, Beenzino, and Gaeko, and founded his own label, Paktory Company, in 2020. He is credited as the composer on Believer 2’s official crew listing. This is a different composer from the 2018 original Believer, which was scored by Dalparan.
Is there a Believer 2 soundtrack album?
Unlike the 2018 original, whose score was released as a standalone soundtrack album, no dedicated Believer 2 soundtrack release or official tracklist has been publicly announced or verified as of this writing. Primary’s score can currently be heard only by streaming the film itself on Netflix. This page will be updated if an official soundtrack release is confirmed.
Believer 2 Reception
Believer 2 premiered in the “Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere” section of the 28th Busan International Film Festival on October 5, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on November 17, 2023. Critical reception was mixed to negative: the film holds 71% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but just 52% from audiences. The South China Morning Post’s James Marsh rated it 1/5, calling it “a bloodthirsty, nonsensical mess” and criticizing its escalating violence, while Ready Steady Cut’s Lori Meek was more forgiving at 3/5, noting it “offers plenty of gratuitous violence while adding layers and twists to its story.” South Korean audiences responded especially harshly on Naver, where viewer scores settled around 2.1 out of 5 across thousands of ratings, with many reviewers feeling the sequel strayed too far from what made the original Believer work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed Believer 2?
Believer 2 was directed by Baek Jong-yul (also credited as Baik), whose previous feature was 2015’s The Beauty Inside.
Who composed the score for Believer 2?
The score was composed by Primary (Choi Dong-hoon), a South Korean hip-hop musician and producer. No standalone soundtrack album has been publicly released; the score can currently be heard by streaming the film on Netflix.
Is Believer 2 connected to the original Believer?
Yes. Believer 2 is a direct sequel to 2018’s Believer, with Cho Jin-woong and Cha Seung-won reprising their roles as Jo Won-ho and Brian Lee. The character Seo Young-rak returns but is recast with Oh Seung-hoon in place of Ryu Jun-yeol.
How was Believer 2 received?
Reviews were mixed to negative. It holds 71% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but only 52% from audiences, and South Korean viewers on Naver rated it especially low, with many feeling it didn’t live up to the original.
Where can I watch Believer 2?
Believer 2 is available to stream on Netflix, where it premiered on November 17, 2023, following its festival debut at the Busan International Film Festival.
Related reading: K-Drama Soundtracks | Movie Soundtracks | Netflix