“Lawless Lawyer” (무법변호사)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
August 19, 2018

Bong Sang-Pil (played by Lee Joong-Gi)
Ha Jae-Yi (played by Seo Ye-Ji)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

“Lawless Lawyer” is the first Lee Joong-Gi drama that I have watched. And I can understand what all the fuss is about. Even in a drama where the storyline falls apart several times, he is magnetic on screen.

Lee plays an attorney named Bong Sang-Pil. As a child, he witnessed his mother’s murder. A brilliant attorney who was about to reveal ongoing corruption, she was killed. Sang-Pil vows revenge on everyone involved in her death. Taken in by his uncle — the head of one of Korea’s most powerful and feared gangs — Sang-Pil grows up smart, street-savvy and a skilled fighter. He has turned himself into a lethal weapon who can fight with his brain and his fists.

When we meet Ha Jae-Yi — the young attorney who will become Sang-Pil’s law partner and eventual love interest — she is fierce and determined. After a corrupt judge tells her that women like her have ruined law by stepping outside of the kitchen and into the courtroom, she uses her right hook to knock him out cold. Her career is suspended. But Sang-Pil likes her fighting spirit and hires her to work for him.

Jae-Yi also has a goal. She is hopeful that her law degree will open doors for her to find her mother, who disappeared over a decade ago. Did she run away? Why was there no trace of her after that evening? The plot slowly unveils what became of her and it was intriguing.

Jae-Yi’s surrogate mother is the powerful judge, Cha Moon-Sook, who was a friend of her mother’s. Played with icy reserve by Lee Hye-Young (who is excellent as the family matriarch in “Call Me Mother“), she is a complex character who has unresolved issues.

And Choi Min-Soo is a scene stealer as hired hitman-turned mayor (!!), An Oh-Joo.

Though the uber-villian is revealed soon enough, the series did a great job with hiding this character’s true identity early on.

The following screencap pretty much captures what everyone in this series needs to do in order to survive:

One of the most exciting parts of this series is Lee’s martial arts skills, which are beautifully showcased throughout this drama. His moves are precise and executed effortlessly. Never mind that his enemies are too stupid to use their collective skills to overpower him by attacking all at once. It’s fun to watch him dispense of them one by one.

As much as I enjoyed the chemistry between Sang-Pil and Jae-Yi, the plot holes prevented me from giving the series a higher rating.

Made me laugh:

I’ve subscribed to Viki for a while, but this was the first series I watched with the viewer comments on and off (in the upper left hand corner). Every time the actor on the right appeared, an appreciative viewer would made a comment about how handsome he was. (ETA: Thank you, Tatum, for finding the actor for me. His name is Jeong Young-Hoon.)

This was my favorite comment, because it made me laugh out loud:

Airdates: Sixteen one-hour episodes aired on tvN from May 12 to July 1, 2018.

Spoiler Alert:

After Sang-Pil witnessed his mother’s murder, he was about to be killed, too. Jae-Yi’s mother, who had also been kidnapped, saves him and in the process gets shot and killed. Or so he thought. In reality, the corrupt police officer who was ordered to kill her let her go. She escaped to Thailand, so that her family could survive.

Knowing that his own life is in danger, and wanting to offer closure, Sang-Pil’s uncle summons Jae-Yi’s mother back to Korea. He helps her get a job in Cha Moon-Sook’s household, so that she can help bring the corrupt judge down. Sang-Pil’s uncle is killed, but Jae-Yi’s mother is able to help her daughter and Sang-Pil get justice.

Jae-Yi’s mother was a sympathetic character. But she was also used as a plot device to cause unnecessary drama. She told Sang-Pil to break up with Jae-Yi, because being with him put her in danger. If anything, Jae-Yi probably was the safest when she was with Sang-Pil. The whole set up was annoying, because we all knew they would end up together.

With all the talk about #CrazyRichAsians & #AsianRepresentation, I’d like to point out that #KDRAMAS are so popular because many of us can see ourselves in stories that Hollywood ignored. On that note: #LawlessLawyer‘s my entree into #LeeJoongGi‘s world⏯️https://t.co/l6QjBbKCgs pic.twitter.com/ZhU3PBKmww

— Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) August 24, 2018

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