[13] Leslie Felperin of The Guardian stated "Although its final act shreds credulity, and the structure is a bit wonky, this pulpy crime thriller from Korea is still a real kick in the head.

Like so many of the genre that hail from Seoul and its suburbs, this one punches well above its weight with an inventive reworking of well-worn plot tropes and slick production values.

"[14] Jessica Kiang of Variety commented "Korea has dominated the midnight-movie/genre slots at international festivals so thoroughly of late that it's hard not to view Lee Won-tae's "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil" in terms of its shortcomings in comparison to the likes of Train to Busan, The Age of Shadows, The Wailing and so on.

But what this fun, slick but slightly forgettable hardboiled actioner lacks in terms of the energy, originality and inventiveness of a true Korean genre classic, it almost makes up for as a showcase for the burly charisma of star Don Lee, aka Ma Dong-Seok.

"[15] Cary Darling of the Houston Chronicle added "Director/writer Lee Won-tae, for whom this is only his second feature, keeps the pace moving swiftly with this cats-and-mouse game, showing off an energetic sensibility that heralds a new voice on the South Korean film scene.

It's no wonder that "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil", which was invited for a midnight-screening slot at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival, has been picked up by Hollywood for an English-language remake with Sylvester Stallone producing.

"[16] David Ehrlich of IndieWire noted "In broad strokes, this premise has already been explored to death, but "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil" breathes new life into it by elevating at least two of its three major characters far above their archetypes.

"[17] Michael Leader of Little White Lies wrote "While not wildly original – Asian crime cinema has mined these uncommon team-ups and ethical ambiguities for decades – The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil pulls off its familiar twists and turns with style and verve.

"[18] Richard Whittaker of Austin Chronicle wrote "Yes, it's car crashes and fight sequences and dry jokes, but it's a mix that will make you wow, wince and guffaw in just the right amounts, all carried off with a gritty style.

"[19] Ben Travis of Empire wrote "There's not much going on beneath the energetic surface, but for the most part The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil is a fast-paced, entertaining thriller buoyed by two engaging leads".

[20] Trevor Johnson of Time Out gave the film three stars out of five, commenting "This muscular South Korean crime thriller is neon-lit catnip for fans of the genre... A solid, if not quite exceptional, time-passer".

[21] Jason Gorber of /Film gave the film 6.5 point of 10, stating "As it stands, this is a movie with a great idea and pretty decent execution, one where the fists fly, the cars crash, and you actually care about the characters involved.

For now, we've got a great bit of genre fun, a movie that at once evokes the rich history of this kind of film with its iconic character types, yet does so with enough originality and confidence to make The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil a powerful tale of its own".