The story was sometime predictable, but there were still twists and turns that I did not expect in this drama! It has been a while since I was so invested in a crime story and not only the good guys, but the villains too.
The acting all around was fantastic!!! From the main characters to the supporting characters and the villains were well written. I was invested in almost of all the characters and wanted everyone to have the ending they deserve (bad guys get justice and good guys win). The action scenes from Lee Jung Ki was amazingly choreographed. I learned that he did his own stunts (like Ji Chang Wook did in K2). Seo Ye Ji did an amazing job and held her own in this drama! Her character was smart, can hold her own in a fight, funny and last but not least open-minded. The supporting characters were very fun to watch especially when the drama got too much (I have cried a bit in this drama). For the first time in a while, I was invested and creeped out by the villains in this drama and what they were going to do. They were smart, resourceful and full of fun to watch the interactions between them and the main characters! The romance in my opinion was realistic type of romance where they just are there for each other as they help each other out as partners in crime and romance. Lee Jung Ki and Seo Ye Ji has amazing chemistry that was so fun to watch; from their interestingly "flirty" bickering to understanding/open-minding partners in crime to understanding friendship and romance. This couple is one of the best couples of 2018!
The background music was very memorable and fitted in all the scenes. The music really help the mood of this drama (this feeling reminds me of I Hear Your Voice when it came to the BGMs being memorable)!
I have re-watched it twice already! I only re-watched it for the romance and the funny moments as well.
Overall, I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves a good action/crime/mystery/romance drama with sprinkle of humor throughout and well-thought out villains and main characters.
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Recuse the Judge!
“Hypocrisy is the audacity to preach integrity from a den of corruption.” It’s sad that we live in a world where this is far truer than we’d like it to be. Those in power who abuse that power to exploit those around them. Promises of fame, money or even power on some level are often all that is needed to put someone on the path. What is scary about people like Hitler, Stalin, Trump, and many others throughout history, is that they convince themselves that they are doing it for the people and the greater good. When, in fact, it is always for themselves.The Lawless Lawyer sees Bong Sang PIl return to the city of Ki-Song after eighteen years to seek revenge against the kingpin of the local gang and the judge behind him for the murder of his mother, which took place right in front of him when he was ten years old. Now a lawyer, he’s determined to exact his revenge through the law. Bong Sang Pil doesn’t need to find out who is responsible because he was there to see everyone who was involved. But, he also knows that kingpin, Ahn Oh Joo and Judge Cha Moon Sook are too powerful to be taken down any other way. Oh, he could resort to petty violence, but he knows that this would only destroy him in the process. Bong Sang Pil, the nephew of another kingpin, has connections within the underworld, but he’s told by his uncle to stick to the law and not follow his uncle’s path.
Ha Jae Yi is another brilliant attorney whose ability in court is matched by her temper. After punching out a judge for his demeaning and derogatory statements about women, she’s suspended and return to Ki-Song to try and figure out what to do next. Ironically, Ha Jae Yi’s own mother disappeared the same night that Bong Sang Pil’s mother was killed. And we find out that Jae Yi’s mother was instrumental in saving Bong Sang Pil from certain death on that fateful night. We also learn that Jae Yi’s mother has powerful evidence of Ahn Oh Joo and Judge Cha Moon Sook, but she is forced to flee Korea in order to keep her husband and daughter safe.
I’ve seen several K-Dramas where the central theme is political and judicial corruption. “Stranger” was the best I’ve seen. “Chief of Staff” is another. This series is compelling because it deals with corruption within a town and how a corrupt judge rules with an iron fist, using people like tissue, and doing everything for the sake of money and fame. Actress Lee Hye Young gives a superb performance as a woman who simply cannot see that anything she does is wrong or hurtful. To her, people are there to be exploited, and we can’t help wondering how much of an influence her own father was; a man who’s hinted at being a corrupt judge himself.
For the most part, the series moves along at a great pace. What is truly impressive is how the writers are able to weave this tapestry, which is like watching two grandmaster chess players in Bong Sang Pil and Cha Moon Sook, trying to outmaneuver and outsmart each other. While Bong Sang Pil doesn’t have the power that the judge has, we quickly come to see just how smart he really is. And that is what makes his character so compelling. But, he quickly realizes that he can’t underestimate Cha Moon Sook or what she is capable of.
If the series has one major flaw, it’s this: Ha Jae Yi’s mother returns to help. And while it’s been 18 years, there is no way that Ha Jae Yi wouldn’t recognize her. Ha Jae Yi’s father runs a photo studio. The family photo sits prominently in the store window, not to mention the countless photos inside the house. And speaking as someone who lost his father, you never forget a parent’s face. I spent hours, days, and even years with his picture all around me, looking at it whenever I wanted. Ha Jae Yi would be of the same mindset. I understand that the writers did this for the sake of the plot, but it doesn’t work here. They should have come up with another ploy to make it work.
A subplot in Episode 14 also doesn’t quite work in which Ahn Oh Joo tells Bong Sang Pil over the phone that he intends to do something to Ha Jae Yi, and yet Bong Sang Pil doesn’t even bother to warn her or even Chief Tae of the threat. That made no sense either. Again, and I say this often in my reviews when I catch this: do not sacrifice character for the sake of making the plot work! In other words, don’t make a character do something that goes against their nature just to make a plot point work.
All in all, this is a highly entertaining and intriguing series. It’s my second time watching Lee Joon Gi after “Flower of Evil” and I can quickly see why he’s so beloved. The man tackles complex characters and emotions with ease. It’s clear to me that he’s a natural when it comes to acting. Even facial tics and flinches make him even more compelling. It is also my second time with Seo Yea Ji after “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.” Obviously, her performance in “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” has far more depth and complexity to it, which she handles like a master artist, but she’s no less compelling in this role. I love how she brings fearlessness to her character. Even when facing Cha Moon Sook, she’s got nerves of steel and won’t back down for a second. I love seeing people, especially Korean women who too often are treated like wallflowers, stand fast and stand strong.
This series has humor, wit, great characters, and a thrilling story. It reminds me a bit of one of the best detective series, “Columbo.” We know how the murder was done, and we even know who did it. What we want to know is how the detective will be able to prove it. In this case, we want to see how Bong Sang Pil will be able to catch Cha Moon Sook, along with everyone else who is responsible for destroying his and Ha Jae Yi’s childhoods.
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Part of the 3/4 episode went on to describe the character of Cha Moon Shook as powerful and brilliant minded so that our main couple seemed did not emerge in the series, that they are co-star/supporting actor of the main lead Cha Moon Shook .
i really want to drop it but only for "lee joon gi " i finished it and of course for his fight/action scenes which hook me till the last
" i'm disappointed " Apart from this, I did not have anything else to say. :(
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Une déception...
Le début était vraiment prometteur, j'adore ce genre de drama où le lead prépare minutieusement sa revanche, je pense notamment à des dramas comme falsify avec Nam Gong Im. Mais ce drama qui avait bien commencé est devenu de plus en plus ennuyant, avec beaucoup trop de scènes incohérentes ( comme la mort du sois-disant gangster qui était au top 3 de Séoul...), des méchants qui sont juste mauvais et sans consistance psychologique, une romance qui survient trop facilement et rapidement alors qu'aucune scène romantique au préalable ne nous avaient réellement préparé, une romance sans aucune alchimie et qui devient en plus larmoyante ! Yuk...Bref, je n'ai pas du tout aimé...Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Lee Joon Gi martial arts is A M A Z I N G! Love his acting abilities! No wonder he is so popular among his fans!
That rap song at the end, *Living in the City" by PULLIK music by Ma Sang-woo... LOVED IT! The Lyrics "Outstanding".
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An action drama but without that much action.
Apparently, two of my favorite actors did a drama together and I didn't know about it. Having just watched Vincenzo, I wanted something in a similar vein to watch next. That proved to be my biggest mistake. I was expecting a funny and dark law drama, with a bit more romance, but "Lawless Lawyer" isn't exactly that. Although sharing a similar theme, this drama focuses more on the corruption in the legal system, and how people can use it to harm others.My first impression of this drama was that it would be full of action, but it ended up being more about meetings and people talking, which isn't bad, but wasn't exactly what I expected from the first episode.
Our main character is Bong Sang-Pil, a badass lawyer raised by gangsters after his mother's death. To avenge her death, he moves back to his hometown to execute a plan he's been working on his entire life. Our female lead, and romantic interest, is Ha Jae-Yi, a strong lawyer who gets suspended for hitting a judge (well deserved, by the way), and ends up returning to her hometown to start over. What bothers me about Jae-Yi is that she starts as a strong female character and ends up being the damsel in distress, as in many other dramas. If you're going to write a strong character, make her strong and independent all the way to the end. Not to mention that everyone makes all the decisions for her. My digression aside, our two leads meet and together they try to take down powerful Cha Moon-Sook, everyone's favorite judge, and her minions.
There is a lot of discussion in this drama about corruption within the justice system, and how powerful media can be in changing people's perspectives. I think the concept of the story was good, but I was expecting something more unpredictable, because, although there's a lot of twists and turns, some of them felt forceful, and for the most part predictable, at least for me, as I guessed the biggest plot twist very easily. However, I think it's still a good story. Also the trailer is a bit deceiving in my opinion, as I was expecting way more action than what was presented (and I love action), instead we got a bunch of meetings that were boring at times. Also there's some illogical stuff that I had a hard time believing, principally with the type of characters we were presented with.
Now let's talk about romance. I like a good romance in any story, as long as it makes sense and is well constructed. I didn't dislike Sang-Pil and Jae-Yi's romance, but I also didn't like it. It had all the tropes of most drama love stories: unnecessary lying to protect female lead, miscommunication, overprotective male lead, they know each other from childhood, we need to break up for your protection and so on. I also didn't feel that much chemistry between the pair... yes, they look incredible together and had some sweet moments, but I always felt like something was missing, and I also felt that the romance could have been more explored and less rushed. And don't get me started on the borderline stalking backstory of the male lead, I understand the idea, but it's still a bit creepy, but I digress. Still, they were cute and fun to watch, even with all the clichés.
I also think they could have explored the Lawless Firm Gang more, as although there are more people, they only focus ( and not that much anyway) on only three people, but even with not much screen time they were a blessing to watch.
Now I need to talk about the villains. Honestly, to me they were the best part of the show. First of all, we have the typical bad guy, Ahn Oh-Joo, he looks and sounds like a bad guy, and although at the beginning he was extremely annoying, he grew on me, and by the end I liked him (as much as you can like a villain), I loved all his growth, and his dynamic with Bong Sang-Pil, that at times felt more like they were friendenemies than anything else. And of course brilliant and evil Chan Moon-Sook, this is what we call a strong female woman, that stood her ground till the very end, it's a shame she used all that brilliance for evil. Still for me she was the most memorable character, even though at times I just wanted to hit her in the face with a very large stick.
Acting/Cast: Lee Joon-Gi knows how to act, this man is brilliant in anything I've ever watch of him, and here isn't any different, his acting was engaging and strong, and honestly he portrayed Bong Sang-Pil in all his complexities very well. Seo Yea-Ji, is also an amazing actress, that I've watch already in a couple of other dramas, and I really like her versatility, she was also very convincing in her role, I'm just sad that the script didn't let her shine more. Choi Min-Soo, this man brought Ahn Oh-Joo to life, and I couldn't see anyone else playing his part, he was amazing and captivating. And of course, Lee Hye-Young was brilliant in this role, she portrayed the stone cold Cha Moon-Sook amazingly, and I think she deserves all the praise for this role. The supporting cast also did a great job.
Cinematography and Sound/Music: Starting with the easier one, I liked the OST, it wasn't anything special, but it got the job done, the sound mixing also was okay, and overall this drama sounded good. The cinematography was also average, and honestly I really disliked the shaky camera, and I get it, it was supposed to make the scene more tense, but it only made me feel dizzie, in addition, I think that the shots were bland and nothing special, but it's still watchable.
Will I watch this drama again? Probably not, I enjoyed the drama, and finished it pretty quickly, but since it's a very cliché drama, I don't feel it's stuck with me to the point of me wanting to rewatch it anytime soon. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you like law dramas, with very heavy political and justice themes, with memorable villains and a somewhat enjoyable romance.
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Don't come looking for romance
Very well-acted by the leads. Lee Joon Gi is always excellent. First, he's not a "pretty boy". Additionally, he seems to take on parts that allow him to be kind of morally gray. Seo Yi Ji was good, and for her part, she tends to pick strong female roles, which she does well. Storyline was very good. This isn't my go-to genre, but it was well done. This was NOT a romance (except ep 6) and I’m all about the romance. However, worse than that was the main bad guy - he was like a caricature of a bad guy (trying to be like Marlon Brando in The Godfather talking with a mouthful of marbles.,. His acting Really took me out of the story).Esta resenha foi útil para você?
RECOMAND DIN SUFLET!!!
Prea frumos să fie adevarat. Tristețe, dramă, iubire, acțiune, tot ce vrei! MINUNAT! Am plâns de multe ori, am râs, chiar a fost tot ce mi-am dorit eu. FIX GENUL MEU! Căutam de mult o așa dramă, și mă bucur că cineva mi l-a recomandat. Băiatul căruia îi aparține rolul principal este unul din actorii mei preferați (de acum), am început să-i vizionez toate dramele, fiindcă, persoana lui face orice dramă mai dramatică. :))))Fata, în schimb, este prima dată cand am văzut-o, și chiar m-a impresionat, este frumoasă si talentată, dacă mai gasesc vreunul in care ea joacă, nu voi ezita si il voi viziona. RECOMAND DIN SUFLET, persoanelor cărora le place actiunea, dramele cu lege (procurori, avocati, detectivi).
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Quando inizio una recensione con un pistolotto a favore dell’attore di turno, normalmente è perché ho trovato dei difetti altrove. Questa non è un’eccezione.
Ma andiamo con ordine. Lawless lawyer è un drama sudcoreano di durata canonica: 16 episodi da circa un’ora ciascuno, per la regia di Kim Jin Min (Extracurricular e My name) e la sceneggiatura di Yoon Hyun Ho (Military Prosecutor Doberman).
L’avvocato Bong Sang Pil (Lee Joon Gi) torna a Gisung, la sua città natale, dopo esserne stato lontano 18 anni. All’epoca, la madre avvocata era stata assassinata davanti ai suoi occhi di bambino e solo rocambolescamente era riuscito a fuggire ai malviventi che volevano ucciderlo e a raggiungere lo zio, a capo di una gang di Seul, che lo aveva cresciuto ed educato alla lotta ed alla legge. Ora, con l’aiuto di un’altra avvocata, Ha Jae Yi (Seo Yea Ji), la cui madre fotografa scomparve lo stesso giorno della morte della sua, cercherà di vendicarsi e di consegnare alla legge la cricca dei malviventi che, dietro una facciata di perbenismo, spadroneggia nella città, sotto la direzione della giudice Cha Moon Sook (Lee Hye Young) e del gangster Ahn Oh Joo (Choi Min Soo), che si atteggia a presidente di una società immobiliare.
Come spesso accade, la prima metà della serie è godibilissima. La tensione è spesso palpabile, si costruisce una solida impalcatura di misteri stratificati, in cui gli accadimenti del passato riverberano nel presente. Le schermaglie fra i due protagonisti sono molto godibili. La faccia da simpatico mascalzone di Lee Joon Gi ben si appaia alla bellissima (e brava) Seo Yea Ji e i due sviluppano sullo schermo una relazione molto gradevole e credibile, anche se la sezione romantica del loro rapporto ha uno spazio ridotto. La giudice che tira le fila di tutti i complotti è algida e feroce come un ragno nel centro della sua ragnatela e il gangster è doverosamente odioso, forse troppo. La caratterizzazione che ne fa Choi Min Soo è veramente sgradevole: manierismi da incivile e pesante accento dialettale, protratti per tutta la serie, alla fine lo rendono abbastanza repellente (per quanto questa mia opinione non sia condivisa da una buona parte dei commentatori di Viki).
Passati i due terzi del drama, però, la corsa al redde rationem finale diventa più spettacolarizzata e meno logica e verosimile. Si avverte chiaramente che alcune cose accadono per esigenze di trama, alcuni personaggi si comportano in maniera illogica, se non stupida, mentre si assiste a salvataggi poco plausibili. L’apoteosi dell’assurdo avviene nel processo finale, che tutto è tranne un’udienza di tribunale. La sconfitta dei vari cattivi ha luogo in maniera piuttosto affrettata e lascia un po’ di amaro in bocca, ma gli ultimi minuti ci lasciano sperare in una seconda stagione, o danno comunque un’impronta molto ottimistica di quello che sarà il futuro dei due avocati.
Il fatto che in Corea, almeno nominalmente, le armi da fuoco non siano di reperimento comune, giustifica diverse scene di scazzottature di gruppo, molto energiche e appassionanti, ottimamente coreografate e magistralmente eseguite, fra gli altri, dal nostro protagonista, uno scricciolo d’uomo, particolarmente in questa serie, che lo vede molto dimagrito, ma sempre in ottima forma nell’eseguire diverse vigorose evoluzioni. Da notare che Lee Joon Gi, per quanto possibile, evita di fare uso di stuntman, ed esegue personalmente la maggior parte delle scene. Sicuramente la sua conoscenza di diverse arti marziali lo aiuta.
E’ piacevole vedere il percorso di crescita caratteriale di diversi personaggi, che acquistano spessore. Se la coppia principale viene abbondantemente seguita, al gangster viene riservato diverso tempo, che ci porta a conoscenza del suo passato e delle sue motivazioni, così pure come alla “maggiordoma” della giudice, una sgradevolissima e sguaiata supponente, che si fa forte del suo rapporto con lei. Purtroppo non altrettanto generosamente viene trattata la gang dei teppistelli che nominalmente aiuta Bong Sang Pil ma che, di fatto, serve esclusivamente a farci fare qualche risatina e non produce alcun effetto nel proseguire della trama. Paradossalmente, è poco sviluppata anche la psicologia della burattinaia che manovra i fili: avida, spietata, affamata di potere e riconoscimenti, ma piuttosto piatta e monocorde.
Al netto dell’interpretazione di Choi Min Soo, che può piacere o meno, ma che comunque denota uno studio caratteriale del personaggio (gangster) straordinario e un'esecuzione favolosa, tutto il cast ha recitato in maniera impeccabile: la coppia principale ha fatto letteralmente faville, ma tutti i personaggi di contorno, fino alle comparse, hanno fatto un lavoro eccelso. La colonna sonora, pur non essendo eccezionale, ha accompagnato piacevolmente l’azione e la cinematografia non ha lesinato inquadrature particolari e scene costruite gradevolmente.
Se solo non ci fosse stato qualche scivolone di troppo nel fluire delle vicende alla fine, avrei dato anche un mezzo punto in più. Peccato. Resta comunque un ottimo titolo thriller d’azione, che mi sento di raccomandare a chi non si arrabbi troppo se alla fine le cose vanno un po’… come le fanno andare.
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A complete blend of genre with crisp ending
Lawless lawyer is worth watching. This drama will exceed your expectation regarding law and crime genre. The plot does give justice to the viewers as it ends on a decent note with no rush at all. The 16 episodes will certainly satisfy you. The drama begins with a boom, you will see Bong Song Pil doing all the craziness to achieve what he wants. He will fight against he corrupt officials with the help of law and fist. Ha Jae Yi helps Song Pil as they share same past and lost loved ones due to one person only.The ending is satisfactory and the drama has some twists also. In the genre of crime and law, this drama is a sweet dish for you. As it is simple, continuous plot, no dragging of past, proper character development, no unnecessary cliché of corrupt prosecutors, and a clean cut acting by the leads.
I feel the best villain role has done by Choi Min Soo (damn his accent is mesmerizing).
Supporting characters are played well. The drama does carry some romance but it doesn't hinders with the revenge. You will complete this drama with no headache at all.
I guess you will feel recharged after watching this.
OST is also good, had only 4 songs. Opening song is worth listening. The bgm with the drum beats make this special gangster vibe.
Go ahead it's worth the time.
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The gray zone is almost black
Badass lawyer.I’ve seen it with Daredevil, and now also with our Lawless Lawyer.
As an aspiring lawyer I almost wish being one was like this (if there wasn’t the almost dying part all the time)
The fights were kinda hectic but engaging.
The story was driven by the main characters wish for revenge but his self-placed restraint, to stay as lawful as possible by wandering along the darkest depths of the gray zone, turned it into a pretty refreshing revenge story.
It is interesting to see how he pushes the pretty generic but still fun-to-watch villains into a corner and how they react to it.
The acting was great and a power couple was formed. The main character's crew was wholesome till the end.
I hope you consider giving this series a try.
Enjoy.
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Choi Min Soo is fantastic
I really wanted to love this series. Kind of reminded me of Vincenzo but more than that I was lookin for another lawyer show to watch. ML was also new to me and I'm quite fond of him now but the best part of the series ended up being the 2ml played by Choi Min Soo. To be honest I hated his character, Ahn Oh Ju and his mannerisms and voice affect were bothersome but over the course of the 16 episodes he grew on me plus his character had some of the best dialogue in the series and some legitimately funny scenes.I was really digging the show until around the 7/8the episode and at the point all credibiity plotwise went out the window. I was so effing annoyed by the plot changes that while I continued to watch inquiring minds wanted to know WTF were the writer's thinking when they came up with the drastic changes to series in episodes 7 and 8??
I also, need to find shows without a romantic element for some reason lately these romantic entaglements between the ML and FL almost always make a show go down hill.
Overall something to watch once but nothing to write home about!
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