If the U.S. has John McClain in "Die Hard," Korea has Ma Seok-do in "The Roundup.” Actor Ma Dong-seok transforms into a tough detective Ma Seok-do who pummels vicious criminals with his bare fists in the upcoming action film. “The Roundup” series is arguably Korea's most iconic action films, and Ma Seok-do is a Korean-style action hero. Ma Seok-do will return in “The Roundup: Punishment” which is set to release on April 24.

“The Roundup” series are the films of, by, and for Ma Dong-seok. Not only does he play the main character, but he also participated in the planning, production, adaptation, martial arts, and editing. "I'm not only an actor, but I'm also a producer, so there were a lot of things to think about," he said at the press event of “The Roundup: Punishment” on the 15th. "The most basic and clear purpose of the film is entertainment."

As Ma said, the series runs straight to the purpose of "entertainment." They aim to be an action film with a kick-ass story that makes the audience laugh out loud. While the quality of each installment varies, they all seem to have achieved their goal of fun. Actor Kim Mu-yeol, who played the villain Baek Chang-gi in the new film, said, "Ma Seok-do has the coolness of blowing injustice and frustration with a powerful punch," adding, "That's what viewers want.”

“The Roundup: Punishment” follows detective Ma Seok-do as he pursues Baek Chang-gi who runs an illegal online gambling organization. The action is more advanced than the previous installments. Ma presents big and explosive boxing actions, while Kim shows simple and fast dagger actions.

Jang I-soo (played by Park Ji-hwan), who was active in the first two installments but only appeared as a "cameo" in the third, which was much to the disappointment of fans, also gives fans a cheerful laugh. Ma consulted real-life detectives to create realistic crime scenes. However, there are some mistakes in the story, such as the issuance of an emergency arrest warrant (an emergency arrest is the arrest of a suspect without a warrant).

Ma has a clear presence as a producer in the film industry. “The Round up” series, which he co-produced through his production company Big Punch Pictures, is one of the most successful intellectual property rights (IP) in Korea. The film broke the movie industry's myth that “there is no sequel better than the original.” The first installment, rated PG-13, attracted 6.88 million viewers, while the second and third installments, rated PG-15, attracted 12.69 million and 10.68 million viewers, respectively. The first three installments alone have attracted more than 30 million moviegoers. According to the KOBIS, "The Roundup: Punishment" is also overwhelmingly ranked first with 65.6 percent (150,000 tickets) in reservation as of the 16th.

Ma has planned up to eight installments of the series. He is also discussing producing an American version. There are also growing expectations that the series could be transformed into various contents such as novels, webtoons, dramas, and games.

"’The Roundup’ is a 'one-man show' content in which Ma Seok-do plays more than 90 percent of the films, but it seems to be expandable in a way that utilizes several villains," said Kim Heon-sik, a pop culture critic. "If the story is expanded around each character, it can be a series with its own characteristics."

"Ma Seok-do’s One Man Show" is both a limitation and a possibility that "The Roundup” series can develop into a super IP. This is because the series relies heavily on one character. In other words, expanding the world view and characters in three dimensions is a prerequisite.

The sense of deja vu is also a task that the series has to solve. In "The Roundup: Punishment,” there were many scenes that reminded viewers of the previous installments, even though the location and circumstances were different. Especially the ending, with its puns and one-on-one duel, has become a kind of “formula.” It's entertaining but not suspenseful, as the audience knows that Ma Seok-do will win. This simplicity is the strength and virtue of the series, but it can turn into boredom at any moment.

Ma said, "I wrote the original scenario of the entire series by myself. I don't think there is clichéd material in crime films. I will continue writing by adding situations that fit the current era.” He also added, "I will show a sequel (after this film) with a much different tone and a lot of changes.”