The Attorney (2013)

Redundant and unnecessary.

A Masterpiece!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Director Yang Woo-seok did a great job with his first outing with 'The Attorney', the South Korean flick that has gone on to be one of the biggest films in the country. The movie is based on the real events of Roh Moo-hyun, who was South Korea's ninth president, who later became an activist. The performances are top notch from everyone involved with Song Kang-ho ('The Host') giving his best performance to date. This two-hour films deserves a wider release state-side.If you were to look at the poster for the film, as you can see above, you would think that 'The Attorney' was an easy-going comedy about an underdog lawyer whose success upsets his judgmental co-workers. And this is true for the first half-hour or so of the film, but the tone oddly shifts to a rough courtroom drama. I did not quite expect that, but if you set aside the shift in genres, the performance of Song really carries this film all the way.Song Kang-ho plays Song Woo-seok , a successful lawyer who only has a high- school education, which infuriates his co-workers. It seems that he is only in the law business to make tons of cash, with no real moral compass. However, he has a change of heart when he takes on a case that involves a young man named Park Jin-woo (Lim Si-wan), a college student who was wrongfully arrested and tortured by the police for reading anti-communist books. The police set up this trial that is almost certain to convict the poor kid, which he was brutally forced to give a false confession.The movie itself as a whole is good, but once it shifts into the courtroom drama, things get a bit clichéd, and we see some events unfold that we have seen many times before. Our main character was a much more fun character to watch and be with in the first half of the movie before the moral switch, but Song pulls it off well.That being said, 'The Attorney' still tells an unrelenting story, which takes place in the 1980s about South Korea's social and political climate, which is sure to strike a chord with audiences. This is an excellent first film for Yang, and I look forward to seeing his future endeavors. This film deserves to be seen.

THE ATTORNEY is must-see for anyone interested in what's happening in THIS country even as I write. The torture of suspected "communists" in THE ATTORNEY will no doubt bring to mind the very recent revelations regarding the "black site" discovered in Chicago (a place where suspected drug dealers/religious extremists/etc. were taken and tortured), as well as the facts uncovered and made known in MURDER AT CAMP DELTA, by Joseph Hickman. Song as Song THE ATTORNEY rivals Al Pacino as the idealistic lawyer in ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL; the major delineation between the two being Song's very low-key approach (one often finds oneself, watching better-made foreign films, feeling as though one is watching a documentary) (and, in fact, this movie I found in the DOCUMENTARY section of the local library and it's listed on HULU as a documentary). The plot is vintage Kafka: members of a book club gather to read and discuss what they've read- until a government goon gets wind of it and decides to go witch-hunting; no good reason, he just does it because he's a government goon and that's what government goons DO... It's the same the world over. From MURDER AT CAMP DELTA by Joseph Hickman: "It disturbed me that I had been caught up in a system that didn't seem to follow any rules and appeared to cover its actions with misinformation and lies." The often (at first) ridiculed Song has the same outlook in THE ATTORNEY. "I believe in American justice," Hickman writes. Says Song, when it looks like he might cave in to incredible pressure: "I will never give up!" THE ATTORNEY is an affirmation of The Human Spirit, nothing less.

I have to admit, of all the Korean films I have seen over the years, The Attorney has to be one of the most relateable internationally. Through this film, I was constantly reminded of our own injustices within the American system, specifically during the times when the U.S. was going after supposed communists. But the film goes beyond, carrying a huge heart and an intense drama, well portrayed by it's actors. While it starts slow, it turns into a riveting and surprising court drama.The focus is on Song Woo-seok, an attorney who, for the sake of his family, seeks to gain money and prosperity as fast as possible. In turn, however, he tries to keep out of the growing political movement of the times and focus on property and tax law. However, this changes when the son of a friend is arrested and tortured as a suspected communist. His attention turns to exposing the corrupt laws and officials responsible. The film starts off slowly, with the first hour or so spent focused on Song's journey to building his practice, his motivations for doing so, and the troubles he faces as he does this. This beginning part is almost wholly different from the latter half of the film. Song is mostly carefree, with his budding, successful practice, the love of his family, and his growing relationships with those around him. It's both touching and humorous in some instances, and Song Kang-ho is incredibly likable as the ambitious, but big hearted Woo-seok. He's easily identifiable in his reluctance to engage in the changing political atmosphere and his ambitions to be successful for his family's sake. It would have been easy to turn him into a greedy, cold lawyer, but he is far from so. So, it is only that much more enjoyable to see him tackle such an important subject in the latter half of the film.At the same time, it is quite riveting and you genuinely fear for the safety and security of Song as he takes on an entire justice system. While there are many surprises, it is ultimately pleasant to see Song take such a stand against an unjust system. It is at this point that the film becomes a courtroom drama, with cinematography that moves and edits that ramp up the pacing. There is genuine intrigue as to how this underdog will take on the system, and even if he can win. I won't spoil the surprises, but I will say that the film does have a few. The ending could be debated, but it is very fitting for this story and I was left with a smile. I can honestly say I was incredibly pleased with this film. Last year, Korea delivered New World, and it ended up being my favorite film of the year. This year, I had the pleasure of watching this film, and I can easily say this may very well end up as high, or nearly as high, on my list as New World. I can't recommend this film enough.

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.