5. LAWLESS LAWYER
THE MASTERPIECE
THE MASTERPIECE
TVN'S 2018
GROUNDBREAKING
LEGAL-ACTION
THRILLER
5. LAWLESS LAWYER
THE MASTERPIECE
TVN’S
2018
GROUNDBREAKING
LEGAL-ACTION THRILLER
 
A year has come and gone but the acclaimed
drama series, Lawless Lawyer, has not been forgotten. The drama world is pretty crowded with innumerable legal stories but TVN's 2018 groundbreaking legal-action thriller is dramatically different from the others. Lawless Lawyer boldly goes where no legal drama has gone before.
 
The drama about Bong Sang Pil, a reckless
gangster-turned-lawyer with the 3 Bs: Brains, Brawn and Beauty, is the first
of its kind in the movie and drama industries. Never has there been, in the
history of the cinema or TV, a good-looking gangster-lawyer character.
Bong Sang Pil, portrayed by the lead actor, Lee
Joon Gi, is the most exciting and provocative legal eagle character; the
unique lawyer is a master of mix martial arts. Bong antagonizes and
challenges almost all the Ki Seong criminals and his formidable martial arts
skills are put to test. The 16-episode drama is filled with a slew of compelling action
scenes.
One feels the powerful energy that is exuded
by Lee Joon Gi (Bong Sang Pil) whenever he showcases his agility, athleticism
and his martial arts skills: Korean Taekwondo, Hapkido, Taekkyeon, Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu, Chinese rod fighting, Muay Thai and boxing. The drama is not just a
celebration of the diversity of martial arts but also Lee Joon Gi’s martial
arts prowess and versatility.
One of Lee’s most spectacular scenes is his
fight against gangsters in a nightclub in Episode 2. His awesome Ong-Bak style 'Flying Knee Attack' must have sent the viewers reeling. Think: The powerful and sensual leap of 'A Puma'. Sexy and animalistic.
In one scene in Episode 3, the legal eagle, Bong Sang Pil, leaps over the staircase of a subway station.
Bong’s ‘flying leap’, I must repeat, resembles the ‘Leap of a Puma’ and ‘Flight of an Eagle’. Lee Joon Gi’s athleticism certainly sends chills down one's spine. Sensuous. Intense, Mesmerizing.     
In another scene, he leaps powerfully onto
a car and in yet another scene, he leaps over a car.
Bong Sang Pil’s leap over the car in the
chase scene has been equated with the mid-air split of a ballerino.
Sensual and graceful.
Another aspect that stands out is Lawless Lawyer
presents a fresh look at Asian women, particularly in the legal profession.
In Asian societies where men still dominate in many spheres of work, women are
relegated to the background. The drama shows dominant women who courageously stand up
to egoistical and overly dominant men particularly those who try to intimidate and put them in ‘their place’.
The intelligent female characters, who are passionate and
forthright, hold very strong viewpoints.
Ha Jae Yi (played by Seo Yea Ji), a fiery,
passionate and assertive lawyer who does not back down in the face of injustice,
bashes a judge for his sexist attitude and unfair verdict in a ‘murder’ case.
She plays a crucial role in bringing the criminals to justice.
Yu Kyeong Jin, the investigative journalist of TVG news, is a
fearless woman who puts her life on the line when she investigates the criminals
for her news stories. In one instance, she is tactless and relentless in
questioning Ahn Oh Ju (played by Choi Min Soo) about his promise to transfer
the Ohju Group to a blind trust. Her dogged persistence disconcerts him.
The lady has been described as ‘a Jindo dog’, someone who wouldn’t let go until she has got to the root of the matter. The Korean Jindo dog, a hunting dog, is celebrated for its fierce courage, energy, intelligence and outstanding hunting ability. 
Surprisingly, men are not the most cold-blooded characters in the drama. The top villain, Judge Cha Moon Sook (played by Lee Hye Young),
is ambitious and ruthless. Aiming to break the glass ceiling, she acts
swiftly to forestall any risk of being eclipsed by her enemies in her bid to
be the first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. She kills opposers
without batting an eyelid and uses her power to clamp down on opposition. In
fact, she threatens to ‘criminalise’ dissent, and crushes her subordinates or
rivals without a second thought.
The director of Lawless Lawyer has used numerous impressive cinematographic techniques, lighting, technical devices to dramatize the story. Of
these, the use of reflections on car windows and the Plexiglas spring easily
to mind.
Those complex shots of 'reality versus reflections' offer a
simultaneous look at the images which have merged or fused to imply the similar
characteristics or thoughts of the characters. If faces do not overlap, it just
indicates the opposite.
The Prelude
Episode 3
Episode 9
Bong Sang Pil v. Ahn Oh Ju
The faces of the most formidable enemies on different sides of
the law merge on the Plexiglas.
It is a masterstroke of genius on the part of
the Lawless Lawyer production team to showcase the emotions and character
traits of the drama characters from a different point of view, through such
reflections.
What is also attention grabbing is the imagery,
particularly animal imagery, which has been woven into the drama to shape the
story. Criminals are humorously associated with certain animals.
In Episode 10, Bong Sang Pil describes Judge Cha Moon Sook as a
crocodile.
It conjures up the image of a terrifying, merciless, cunning and
hypocritical person.
In certain cultures, the crocodile is a symbol of status and
power.
Ahn Oh Ju is Judge Cha's crocodile bird. The crocodile bird referred to
is the Egyptian Plover bird. The bird gets into the crocodile’s mouth and
picks out the bits of food stuck in the crocodile’s teeth, keeping the
crocodile’s mouth fresh and free from infections.
Likewise, the relationship between Judge Cha Moon Sook and Ahn
Oh Ju is a symbiotic relationship. Ahn Oh Ju helps Judge Cha Moon Sook to
commit murder or cleans up after her evil deeds. He then benefits from the
relationship as he could make tons of money with her backing.
The viewers are told that a schism has widened between them and
later, they learn that Judge Cha, like a crocodile, would be poised to seize
her prey.
Even upright and dedicated civil servants do
not escape such mean descriptions. After all, man is an animal.
Nam Soon Ja calls Cheon Seung Beom ‘a venomous snake’ in
Episode 13.
Is Nam Soon Ja paying him an enormous compliment or hurling an
insult at him? Only certain snakes have a venomous bite. If he is a snake, he
is certainly not an ordinary snake.
If Cheon Seung Beom is
the prosecutor of a case, criminals would surely be convicted of their
crimes. Cheon, a very efficient, effective and tough prosecutor, goes
about his job with a vengeance - energetically and wholeheartedly; he could
never be accused of dereliction of duty.
In Episode 8, when Prosecutor Cheon Seung Beom drops in at Bong
Sang Pil’s office, the latter joked that although he had laid out ‘a seafood
buffet’ for him, the public servant was not effective in catching the big
criminals. He was only able to catch small fishes.
Ahn Oh Ju eventually decides to be the key witness to bring
Judge Cha Moon Sook to justice in Episode 16.
In court, Ahn claims to be the Cha family’s ‘loyal dog'. He began serving the family as an
underling for Judge Cha Byung Ho, Judge Cha Moon Sook’s father.
Ahn Oh Ju is definitely a sheer joy to have in the Cha family:
he is trusting, fiercely loyal and so ever willing to get his paws dirty for
the family. His loyalty never wavers no matter what happens. Ahn is there for
them during the good times and the bad times.
What is most interesting is that the drama
examines the human condition in the face of injustice. This pertains to Bong
Sang Pil’s emotional and psychological journey in his fight against the
powerful criminals of Ki Seong who had murdered his mother.
The underlying philosophical question posed is: ‘Are we courageous enough to stand up against the wicked and powerful to
ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice in our society?’ This,
together with other unique aspects, makes Lawless Lawyer a groundbreaking
drama - a masterpiece.
While Lawless Lawyer has received glowing reviews, Lee Joon Gi’s awe-inspiring performance has also been lauded by the critics and the audience alike.
Lee's realistic portrayal of Bong Sang Pil has been billed by critics as ‘Lee Joon Gi’s role of a lifetime’. It can be interpreted as ‘Lee's most iconic drama role' cum 'an acting performance of all time’.  
Nobody has trumped Lee Joon Gi’s acting
performance in 2018; none can also deny the diversity of his talents. Lee
has, in fact, delivered the perfect performance. The critics’ approval serves
only to reinforce Lee Joon Gi’s reputation as a superb actor and formidable
action star. It takes brilliant delivery of emotions, amazing martial arts
skills, great confidence, star quality and the brilliant interpretation of Bong
Sang Pil’s character to pull off the lawless lawyer role.
  
Kim Jin Min, the formidable director and Yoon Hyun Ho, the amazing
scriptwriter of the groundbreaking masterpiece must also be
given credit for their creativity and originality. They have also the great
fortune of having assembled an illustrious cast and an incredible crew.
(l) Director Kim Jin Min, (c) Lee Joon Gi, the Lawless Lawyer leading actor, and other main characters & (r) Scriptwriter Yoon Hyun Ho
So, when creative forces come together,
others sit up. It would be unsurprising if this 2018 trailblazer drama serves
as an inspiration to other directors and scriptwriters, some of whom might well be guilty of
being copycats.
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