Byeon-ho-in

In the languages of some tribes in Africa, there is no word "freedom" at all. They do not know what it means. People always say that the more a person lacks something, the more he publicizes it, so he has toilet paper such as representative, development concept and values. When the country around us reflects on the past, we are still drunk with money.

Powered by another fantastic showcase from the ever-reliable Song Kang-ho, The Attorney is a riveting slice of South Korean history that brings an infamous incident to screen and delivers as a consistently captivating legal drama about an ambitious tax lawyer who decides to represent & defend a group of students arrested by the military regime on fabricated charges.

Co-written & directed by Yang Woo-suk in his directorial debut, the story first acquaints us with the titular character, the rise of his law firm and the events that ultimately lead to him taking up the notorious case. The other subplot depicts the human rights violations that was perpetrated by the military power during its rule before the two storylines clash & unravel in the court of law.

The non-linear narration has its hits n misses but it keeps the interest alive. The film starts as a light-hearted drama and takes its time to establish the protagonist which helps us invest in him despite his differing views which are then challenged & changed by the court proceedings. The performances are gripping, with Song adding another impressive work to his acting oeuvre and leads from the front.

Overall, The Attorney is a skilfully crafted & brilliantly acted historical account of South Korea's dark past that rides almost entirely on Song's fantastic input to steer past the finish line, and is by all means a promising start for its debutant director. Informative, enlightening & entertaining throughout, the film isn't as provocative or politically charged as it could've been but it delivers the desired goods with finesse.

The almost first half of the movie was average but it grips up after the first half and it is really awesome to watch the second half of the movie.

It is not just about a desperate attorney. It is the portrait of Korean culture in its most aching and general aspect in the last 100 years. It depicts the most serious mental and social aspect of Koreans in terms of politics. To understand Korea, you need to be able to identify the different roles of the parties shown here. Mr. Song, the attorney, is the person who had the most typical life of 1970-1980s, as a social survivor in 1990s, and the political figure of 2000s. He is the late president of Korea who represented Korean minds in so many ways. If I have to pick the most Korean Korean in last decades out of media, he is the one. He is the very Korean boy, the young man, and mid-age uncle, and Korean system. This movie's value lies not on anything in its plot, shooting, or else, but it is so accurate in depicting the thinking of Koreans in the last 30 years. It is so reliably and genuinely Korean, any human being can see that it transcends the boundary of a region and country. It is well-done without much exaggeration and over acting. A master-piece and the best actors.

This is a very good movie centred on a wonderful performance from Song Kang-Ho, and while his character and character arc shine, much of the movie feels very fictionalised and "cinematic", sometimes to the point of detracting from the story. Also has a weird, made-for-TV vibe to some of the shots even though generally the cinematography was decent.