Not a Bad Prosecutor — But Definitely a Lawless (and Crazy) One
I started watching Bad Prosecutor for Doh Kyungsoo, but I had a feeling the story wouldn't disappoint me either. Initially presenting itself as a comedy, the drama quickly shifts into a legal thriller where the protagonist and his team have to find out the culprits behind a homicide and take them down one by one using the law.
Despite enjoying how the story was told, I can see how some people might not appreciate it as much as I did — mainly because it has a lot of inaccuracies for the sake of keeping the plot moving. After all, it is still essentially a comedy and it focuses a lot on that aspect. However, these inaccuracies weren't a problem for me, as I was so engaged in the story and wanted to see justice being served, even if it meant overlooking some plot holes and events that seemed to happen just for the sake of moving the plot forward and wrapping things up.
But what are those inaccuracies that I keep talking about? Well, I can use our main character, Jin Jung (Doh Kyungsoo), as an example. The whole story revolves around him being a "bad prosecutor". And what does that mean? He collects evidence for his cases through illegal means. Realistically speaking, if this weren't for the sake of the drama, he would have been fired and probably face several criminal charges. But despite appreciating some realism in my dramas, I couldn't care less about that when Jin Jung is such a charismatic character.
And what about the mystery? Well, the mystery aspect isn't bad but could've been better. The antagonists and the story itself are quite predictable at times. But, once again, Jin Jung saves the scene, as I didn't find his character predictable, and it surely kept me entertained.
Which brings me to the next topic: the characters (and their actors). As you can tell by now, I loved Doh Kyungsoo's character, and I think he did an amazing job portraying him. As always, Kyungsoo never fails to impress me, and I can't wait to see him in more dramas as a main character. His co-star, Lee Se Hee, was also really great — I loved seeing her character's interactions with Jin Jung since they are so different from each other, creating a great dynamic. The sidekicks were enjoyable, but I found some of their comedic moments a bit over the top.
Something I didn't quite understand is how Ha Joon (who portrays Oh Do Hwan) was supposed to be a main character when he actually felt more like a supporting one. The same applies to Kim Sang Ho (who portrays Park Jae Kyung), who is apparently a supporting character, but to me, he seemed more like a main character. He played such an important role in the story — and is definitely one of my favorite characters. But overall, I think all the actors were phenomenal, and I don't have anything bad to say about their performances.
Usually, you don't see me talking about technical aspects, as I focus more on those when it comes to movies, but this time I have to say that the fight scenes were a bit underwhelming, if not plain boring. And ironically, I believe they were actually trying to make them funny. However, most of these scenes relied on a shaky camera, probably to create a frenetic feel, but I absolutely hated it. The scenes could have delivered the comedy they were going for without looking so poorly executed.
Speaking of which, they could have toned down the comedic aspect at times. Some moments clearly called for a more serious and tense delivery, but the comedy often disrupted that — especially due to the soundtrack. And that brings me to the worst part of the drama for me: the score. And I say this as someone who thinks the OST was actually great — I just don't think they knew how to use it. There were songs playing when there was absolutely no need for a song, or worse, songs that didn't match the mood of the scene at all. And this happened throughout most of the drama, which I found pretty frustrating.
Despite its flaws, Bad Prosecutor was an entertaining watch for me. While the legal aspects weren't exactly realistic, the fast-paced storytelling, good performances, and fun character dynamics kept me engaged. It's not for everyone — especially if you're looking for a serious legal drama — but if you enjoy something on the lighter side, you might have fun with this one, just like I did.
Despite enjoying how the story was told, I can see how some people might not appreciate it as much as I did — mainly because it has a lot of inaccuracies for the sake of keeping the plot moving. After all, it is still essentially a comedy and it focuses a lot on that aspect. However, these inaccuracies weren't a problem for me, as I was so engaged in the story and wanted to see justice being served, even if it meant overlooking some plot holes and events that seemed to happen just for the sake of moving the plot forward and wrapping things up.
But what are those inaccuracies that I keep talking about? Well, I can use our main character, Jin Jung (Doh Kyungsoo), as an example. The whole story revolves around him being a "bad prosecutor". And what does that mean? He collects evidence for his cases through illegal means. Realistically speaking, if this weren't for the sake of the drama, he would have been fired and probably face several criminal charges. But despite appreciating some realism in my dramas, I couldn't care less about that when Jin Jung is such a charismatic character.
And what about the mystery? Well, the mystery aspect isn't bad but could've been better. The antagonists and the story itself are quite predictable at times. But, once again, Jin Jung saves the scene, as I didn't find his character predictable, and it surely kept me entertained.
Which brings me to the next topic: the characters (and their actors). As you can tell by now, I loved Doh Kyungsoo's character, and I think he did an amazing job portraying him. As always, Kyungsoo never fails to impress me, and I can't wait to see him in more dramas as a main character. His co-star, Lee Se Hee, was also really great — I loved seeing her character's interactions with Jin Jung since they are so different from each other, creating a great dynamic. The sidekicks were enjoyable, but I found some of their comedic moments a bit over the top.
Something I didn't quite understand is how Ha Joon (who portrays Oh Do Hwan) was supposed to be a main character when he actually felt more like a supporting one. The same applies to Kim Sang Ho (who portrays Park Jae Kyung), who is apparently a supporting character, but to me, he seemed more like a main character. He played such an important role in the story — and is definitely one of my favorite characters. But overall, I think all the actors were phenomenal, and I don't have anything bad to say about their performances.
Usually, you don't see me talking about technical aspects, as I focus more on those when it comes to movies, but this time I have to say that the fight scenes were a bit underwhelming, if not plain boring. And ironically, I believe they were actually trying to make them funny. However, most of these scenes relied on a shaky camera, probably to create a frenetic feel, but I absolutely hated it. The scenes could have delivered the comedy they were going for without looking so poorly executed.
Speaking of which, they could have toned down the comedic aspect at times. Some moments clearly called for a more serious and tense delivery, but the comedy often disrupted that — especially due to the soundtrack. And that brings me to the worst part of the drama for me: the score. And I say this as someone who thinks the OST was actually great — I just don't think they knew how to use it. There were songs playing when there was absolutely no need for a song, or worse, songs that didn't match the mood of the scene at all. And this happened throughout most of the drama, which I found pretty frustrating.
Despite its flaws, Bad Prosecutor was an entertaining watch for me. While the legal aspects weren't exactly realistic, the fast-paced storytelling, good performances, and fun character dynamics kept me engaged. It's not for everyone — especially if you're looking for a serious legal drama — but if you enjoy something on the lighter side, you might have fun with this one, just like I did.
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