This review may contain spoilers
The plot is weak
I watched this because it has 2 of my favorite actors- Lee Joon Gi and Seo Yea Ji. I will keep my review short here.Overall, it's not bad. You wouldn't waste your time watching it so you should give it a go. However, I think there are so much room for improvement in the story line. I think 16 episodes are not enough for the story. Similar to other reviews, I think the villain was brought down too easily and this could have been improved if they extend the story a little bit. In addition, I am not a lawyer but I can tell that the evidence to bring down the villain was way too weak. And to be honest, with that type of evidence, the villain could have been brought down since episode 1.
The couple: there is no chemistry between the couple. It's more like a friendship to me.
Acting: I think all actors performed well in this drama.
Warning- Spoiler below-
The most frustrating part for me was how the samchon died. The way he died was like: sorry guys, my character has to die here because I need to move on to another project. That's how stupid his death was.
Was this review helpful to you?
Lee Joon gi
I kept putting this drama of on hold for many times and i don't know why. Ofcourse this was not a best watch but it was not bad either. This drama has a good star cast and you can feel all the different range of emotions too. It has humor, love story, villains and great fight scenes. Strong FL lead, if you are someone like me who can't tolerate sissy FL . This is my first drama of Lee Joon gi and i realized man, he is hot and sexy. That smile is a killer. He is a good actor. May be little too thin....hahaha but enjoyed watching him. Seyo Ye ji is not sexy or beautiful in traditional asian way but her voice is mature and soothing. She was a kick-ass FL in this drama . Though ML was bent on protecting her all the way and due to valid reason but i felt it still did not make her look distressed or weak. Their chemistry is awesome on the screen. I am going to watch more of Lee Joon Gi drama, i really can't believe i kept putting this drama on hold becoz of him Lol!Was this review helpful to you?
we half-assed that ending huh?
Let me start my saying that I decided to watch this strictly for Lee Joon Gi. Alright, now that y'all know what type of girl I am, let's continue. This drama? Wasn't horrible. What was horrible? That ending.I won't say too much, but they had a really solid plot to work with. That's why I'm so disappointed that the end played out in the manner it did. I can't believe I sat through murder plots just to see the villain not even be tried in the very place she had power. They spent so much time, with the side characters and everyone's motivation that I didn't even get to have a satisfying ending.
Ignoring the ending though, the drama actually wasn't that bad. It was a bit corny at times and everything didn't have a resolution, but it wasn't horrible. It felt like a parody at times.
I will mention that I didn't really see any chemistry between the leads other than friendship. I don't get why they were in love lol. I know they said it, but I don't see how they got 7 from 2 + 2. I must've been too high because this drama feels like a fever dream.
Give it a try, it had action so maybe you won't be as bored.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Acting: this cast was amazingly cast. MaleLead (ML)_ slick-smart-badasser; FL_smooth-savvy/smart-badasser = perfect pairing; FVillian: dang she is amazing an ice queen-ruthless-narcissistic. She's kicked it up several levels from her BOF evilness_ DANG!; MVillian: this thug grows on you. He is a street thug who's kicking with power, thug/gang style. Evil, ruthless and well portrayed.
Music: it all FIT- well done!
Re-Watch: yes
Overall: Thugs - politicians portrayed as seamless puzzles pieces completing the picture, much like our global present day "power-thug" political landscape. The transition from politician to thug or visa versa, we the common citizen are simple fodder. Lots of lessons taught in this drama,if considering career changes. Final note: one of the better Kdramas in a LONG time!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Action packed with a heart warming romance
9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean legal thriller with 16, 60 minute episodes.After witnessing his mother’s murder, Bong Sang-pil (Lee Joon-gi) goes to live with his uncle Choi Dae-woong (Ann Nae-sang) who despite being a gangster has a sense of morality and raises his nephew as his own. Sang-pil’s mother was an attorney and was in the process of exposing criminally corrupt officials when she was murdered to silence her. Determined to avenge his mother, Sang-pil learns fighting skills from his uncle. He determines that gangster skills are not enough though and becomes a lawyer then blending his lawless/gangster style with that of a smart, tough lawyer to seek justice against evil doers. Ha Jae-yi (Seo Yea-ji) is unaware that her and Sang-pil share a connection through their parents and the dark events that occurred in the past. Sang-pil has been watching Jae-yi from afar and finds her strong sense of justice combined with a fiery spirit , very compelling. When Jae-yi returns to her hometown after being suspended and fired for standing up to a corrupt, judge, Sang-pil who was back to seek revenge, sets up “chance” encounters. He gets Jae-yi to work at his law firm where he can utilize her skills while being able to keep a close, protective, eye on her. As the two people work together unraveling the past and working to bring the powerful and elite of the city to justice for their many crimes, love blossoms between them. Can the two use a combination of street justice and law to topple a nearly impermeable corrupt power structure? Can they survive and pursue a brighter future together?
I am a fan of Lee Joon-gi as I find that he selects intriguingly complex plots with action packed scenes that are also sweetly romantic. Those that I have seen him in have well written endings and the female roles are typically a good foil for the male lead. In this one I loved his character who was nearly super hero like in his pursuit of justice. He and Seo Yea-Ji were a couple I could easily envision together as they had great chemistry and just looked really good together. I have been putting off watching “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” but now that I watched Seo Yea-Ji’s performance in this I am eager to see her in other roles. I watched this at a time when our government has similar layers of corruption and where many are experiencing feelings of hopelessness because of it so seeing good overcoming evil was particularly compelling at this time. The action scenes were exciting and you could tel that Lee Joon-gi is an accomplished martial artist. The end started just a little slow and there is an element where her dad does not believe her and when the truth comes to light the never show the father’s light bulb moment. This is one of my new favorites and I highly recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Why was Ha Je Yi set up to be badass when she clearly was not
I started this after finishing Vincenzo because I wanted more of that chaotic, power couple energy and reddit suggested this. And honestly, the first few episodes really delivered. The pacing was great, the character introductions were solid, and I love Seo Ye Ji so I was excited to see her in this.Judge Cha is easily my favorite character. Calm, composed, terrifyingly smart. Even when she was being humiliated and arrested in the end, she didn’t lose that aura. Her character had actual depth, which I appreciated so much. An Oh Ju was also a great villain. So annoying every time he was on screen, but in the best way. His performance was on point.
Now for the rant: I hated Bong Sang Pil as the show went on. He started off strong but quickly turned into this condescending, controlling man-child who never communicated properly with Ha Je Yi. Every time he pulled the “I’m doing this to protect you” nonsense, I wanted to scream.
And now about Ha Je Yi - her character left me with mixed feelings. I was so hyped in the beginning because she was introduced as this fearless, sharp-tongued lawyer who didn’t take crap from anyone, and I really thought we were going to see her go toe-to-toe with Sang Pil as equals. But somewhere along the way, that edge got dulled. She started making reckless decisions that didn’t feel like the same person we met in episode one, and worse, she kept getting sidelined or treated like someone who needed constant saving. Her arc felt like such a downgrade. And the fact that Sang Pil constantly made decisions for her, without trust or proper communication, only made it worse. That said, I didn’t hate her—I still found her realistic and grounded in a way most female leads aren't. I just wish the show hadn’t set up expectations of her being this badass when they weren’t going to follow through.
I loved their first kiss scene and the final court scene was powerful and satisfying - watching everyone team up against Cha Moon Sook, so good.
One thing I wish they added: Ha Je Yi’s dad giving a proper apology to Sang Pil. That would’ve been a nice moment of closure.
All in all, it’s not the best drama I’ve watched, but it was engaging and had its moments.
Was this review helpful to you?
Law and crime genre in a really whole new level... Welcome to the city of the lawless
For those who loves law and crime genre, this one is something you shouldn't really miss out. Law dramas are usually heavy and most commonly follow the same cliche plot about high ranking officials who are trusted by the people but in reality are abusing their power for personal gains but then a victim of their wrongdoings decided to step up and seek for revenge. This drama has practically the same story line BUT what made this drama worth-watching is that among the law and crime genre dramas I've watched before, this really stood out for good reasons. First, I like the fact that there were less technical terms about law which made it easier for me to focus on the story itself and the emotions that the characters portray. Second, this drama despite being heavy due the revenge story, was able to insert various emotions that will make you feel like you are riding on a roller coaster of emotions. There were scenes that can make you laugh really hard, then there will be scene that will make you feel the suspense and the tension, at some point you will also see yourself being hooked on the romance among the leads then it will make you cry as well eventually feeling the hardships of the main leads.Aside from the amazing plot itself the casting also played a crucial part in making this drama a big success on my heart. At first, I didn't know that Lee JoonKi was starring on this until he first appeared on screen. I haven't seen him on a similar genre before so I wasn't sure about what to expect but on the first ten minutes watching the first episode, I already knew that he will nail the role and damn he really did. For the female lead, Seo YeJi, I honestly didn't see her on other dramas I've watched before so she's unfamiliar but as the character shapes up along with the drama, I can't even think of any other actresses that will fit on her character as accurate as she portrayed it. The chemistry between the two was natural (as far as I remember, LGK always have a good chemistry on whoever he is partnered with. The supporting roles like those who worked for Lawless Law Firm was mostly responsible for adding humor in this drama, without them I'm almost certain that it won't be as good as what it turned out. Although there were several villains in this drama, Lee HyeYoung and Choi MinSoo were the most highlighted villains. They are really one of the most sought-after villains in the drama world. The type of villain that will make your blood boil out of anger while watching it because of how good they act as the villain on the story but at the same time you can't stop yourself in respecting and admiring them as talented actors and actresses doing a very great job in breathing life into their roles.
The sound effect makes me excited specially on fight scenes, while moving to the beat of the music, I feel like I'm throwing kicks and punches with them. I also love that there were accents on this drama even though I'm not really sure what accent it is. As good as this drama may be, there were still some heavy parts all throughout it involving deaths, revenge and power manipulations so it's not really a drama that you can re-watch over and over again like romantic comedy dramas but for me this is still really one of those must-watch dramas that you might regret not trying even once.
So, are you ready to dive in to the city of the lawless?
Was this review helpful to you?
Overacting
I had many expectations for this show because of the director (Extracurricular, My name) and because of the cast, but unfortunately I was disappointed. The plot was a little bit childish and not convincing. There was no suspens at all and I wasn't looking forward to binge watch this show. I'm not quite sure if the problem was in editing or in the direction in general. They forced a love interest between the two protagonists in the first episodes which blow out really soon through out the series. The bigest surprise though was the acting. O had a feeling of overacting. Although I really enjoyed Choi Dae Hoon's acting.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Acting A++. Quickly resolved tropes, but Too many villains & scary violence
Really love the leads. Really love the fighting sequences. There were some tropes (the selfish mother in particular REALLY made me angry ) but things get resolved quickly. While they did a good job of balancing out the light & heavy content, it still had too much scary violence & viciousness to give it a higher rating. The sheer number of bad guys really overwhelmed the series for me, but the quality of acting by the leads was off the charts. )maybe I can figure out a way to edit this)Was this review helpful to you?
Now the in depth review.
The story isn't new, as I've said. There are the expected plot lines but let's face it David and Goliath stories with revenge thrown in are tried and true classics that everyone enjoys watching. The start of this drama is great, the first half is setting the stage and introducing the characters, which was interesting to watch how the hero and heroine were connected and their tragic backstory. It was surprising to me to see how fast the ML and FL fell in love. This is not a slow burn romance. It made the story slightly better for me since there wasn't any angsty love thrown in amidst all the revenge and justice being served. That was a nice change of pace from some of the other dramas I've watched recently. The weakest part for me was the ending court room scene. I felt like that was a hot mess. I don't know much about the South Korean legal system but it can't be that the judge starts interrogating the witnesses. And why wouldn't the judge recuse herself or have a forced recusal? It just gave me a headache, my suspension of disbelief completely left the courtroom.
The acting by the main leads is great if melodramatic at times. Some of the intensity made me think about when the director says cut and they have to relax after the scene. So, it took me out of the drama a bit. This is the first time I've watched Lee Joon Gi. At first, I just didn't get why everyone was all about this dude. But then his intense gaze happened and he started to pull me around but what clenched my interest was the fight scenes. Dude is a great fighter and knowing he does his own stunts makes it so much better. I really liked Seo Ye Ji. She is beautiful and had an intensity to her blank face that alot of actresses lack. Her stare says so much even if her face is passive. Lee Hye Young. What a brilliant and deliciously evil portrayal! This woman can do evil. I absolutely love to hate her characters. The supporting cast was lackluster. Choi Mon Soo portrayed Ahn Oh Joo way over the top. I hated watching him and hearing his voice. The only thing I liked about him was the last scene that he was in. He did crazy well.
The music is great. I loved the song at the end!! It's bad assery added to the drama.
I definitely recommend this to those who like crime and revenge dramas. The action was a lot of fun too.
Was this review helpful to you?
Pretty good
The beginning of the show is strong. It offers a unique story that is captivating to the viewer and is continuously explained throughout the show making you want to keep watching. However, there is a lull in the middle and it was a bit tedious to get through. I had to fast forwarded quite a bit.  The ending wrapped up most of the plot points but I felt like it was lacking some depth. I like the crime and law & order genre so i stuck through it, but these are the same reason I drop rom-com shows. The main couple had a lot of chemistry through the beginning and middle, but the stopped being very convincing at the end, more like very close friends. I don't know, it's probably just me.I love both leads, Lee Joon Gi and Seo Ye Ji. I think they are very good actors. Lee Joon Gi shined the most to me, probably because his character is sooooo multi dimensional, more so than Seo Ye Ji's. He portrayed all of his characters emotions very well and personalities very well.
I would maybe watch it again but I'd be fast forwarding through a lot, honestly.
The music felt fitting and gave ambience when needed. I also thought the title song fit the vibe of the show well.
Was this review helpful to you?
