Byeon-ho-in

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.

The Attorney is about a self-studied lawyer who did not graduate from college. He makes a name for himself doing taxes but gradually his eyes start to open to the state of Korea's oppressive regime and he takes the fight to the National Security Act.

The movie never says it is based on a true story but the events depicted have a sense of reality about it. A simple wiki told me that it is based on Roh Moo-hyun, the former South Korean president who did passionately defend the accused in 1981 and then became a notable leading figure of democratization movement since that trial. After his presidency and following tragic suicide in 2009, his name and legacy have been virtually tarnished and butchered by the local right-wing politicians including the current South Korean president. The movie doesn't depict his Presidency days onwards but focus on his days of political awakening. I remembered reading the tragic suicide in the papersbut had no idea what the man was about.

The movie is not without its flaws. The transition from light comedy to full-on drama is hardly seamless (this is probably the case with most Korean films). The narrative in first act feels uneven and I wasn't sure what the focus was until it hits the second hour. Some characters also suffer from an illness of under-development. However there are two good reasons to see this. Number one is Song Kang-Ho. The actor is definitely the most dependable actor in Korean cinema. His portrayal of the shady lawyer smooths away all the rough spots and he gives the role a humility that will make your heart ache. The second reason is the superb rousing courtroom drama with lots of twist and turns.

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.

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.