This review may contain spoilers
This series has a little bit of everything so difficult to describe. So let's just say it has a nice combination of that bit of everything when it comes to a crime drama. Nothing was overwhelmingly focused on so it kept my attention at each episode. The dynamics between all of the actors/characters was good and our main defendant did a wonderful job at his role. There wasn't any particular character that was just miraculously tough or continuously useless all the time which was nice.My only negative comments would be the very slightly overly emotional aspect of our main defendant in certain scenes, but also realistic if one can even fathom being in his shoes. I would have appreciated a more brutal and prolonged punishment of our antagonist as he seemed to have been let off a bit too easy. This applies as well to the prosecutor who was supposed to have been a family friend who was apparently forgiven so easily. The guy couldn't properly play the good person or the bad person and only ended up making the choice he did when he realized he was losing. The comedy aspect was a bit off with timing occasionally but was still fun to watch.
Nevertheless, definitely recommend. It does justice to its plot summary.
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Hacked away its own feet
However hard great actors try, and you’ve got to admit, Ji Sung is pretty damn good, they can’t quite hide appalling writing. Rather like an oyster creating a pearl from irritating grit, however magnificent, the grit is still there in the middle. This show is full of good actors (with one or two exceptions) wrapping up grit with varying degrees of success.Cudos also has to go to the director for trying to help in the process by toning down some scenes which could have really got out of hand. But the banal and unintelligent writing drags them all down, again and again. The lines are often so pedestrian and obvious and either do absolutely nothing to reveal the interior emotions and insights of a character or, even worse, vocalise feelings in totally weird and unnatural ways. Stating the obvious is the go-to choice for imparting information and there are plenty of scenes where some of the antagonists behave more like naughty boys rather than credible, disturbed, human beings.
Then there are a whole slew of unfathomable motivations which have to be verbally “explained”, any number of clunky and repetitive plot devices aided and abetted by bad editing choices, an ever growing list of eye-rolling coincidences, an abundance of unbelievable twists and a complete abandonment of any sort of credible legal procedure. There was plenty of tension but the pacing just got slower and slower making it hard going through the middle and it really didn’t need two extra episodes.
The vagaries of memory loss seem to follow no rhyme nor reason. That memories are buried and hidden is something I have personal experience of, but the writer’s use of it coming and going just to serve the plot smacks of total convenience rather than reality. Further, the slow revealing of the crime doesn’t reflect recovered memories, adding to the sense of manipulation rather than suspense.
The actors have to do all the heavy lifting themselves, with body language, facial expression and tone and Ji Sung is the shining light here with a wonderful pearl of a performance that is the one good reason to keep going. His relationship with his daughter was very real and Shin Rin Ah also put in a great performance. Unfortunately though, Uhm Ki Joon and some of the supporting cast are only able to manage mis-shapen lumps of calcium carbonate with their parts.
The cinematographer created ambiance by the bucketload with the use of highlights and shadows. The scenes inside the prison were lit to perfection, utilising low levels to create an atmospheric, metallic, industrial feel in mainly soft golds and blues. There was also imaginative and meaningful use of the shadows cast by window bars and rectangular slabs of light offered by slots in doors. I also loved the opening credits sequence with its overlaid images and washes of blues and golds, picking up on the overall theme.
In the hands of a good writer this could have been a superb drama, because the basic ideas, acting talent and the production values are up there. But instead, all of that is undermined by weak dialogue and unconvincing plot execution, and I was left with a drama that I struggled through rather than enjoyed. In fact, I simply couldn’t get to the end and that’s saying something because when I commit to writing a review I finish the drama. So apologies, but I really can’t see anything salvaging this one!
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I went into this title without knowing anything about korean dramas(actors,screenwriters and stuff) and I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the story from the very beggining, throughout its end and my attention was caught from the very first episode. There were a lot of plot twists that kept it interesting and I wanted to watch episode after episode.There was zero romance, but there wasn't really any room for it, as the story kept going every episode hooked me up.
I can tell only one word about the cast - WOW! I literally loved every single actor of this drama, especially (not the biggest surprise) Ji Sung in the role of Park Jeong Woo, the way he played the amnesia part really stood up to me.
I highly recommend this drama, especially since it was my first one and because this drama was the sole reason I got hooked up into the korean tv scene and I dont find anything else interesting at the moment. Cheers!
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The writers seem to have done an excellent job of delineating someone whose life has disintegrated and with it, almost, his mind, and they should be congratulated. However there are many weaknesses in the plot - the villain has NO redeeming qualities at ALL, and no charm either. ALL the inmates of Jisung's cell are lovely cuddly blokes just waiting there to go straight - not even any real tension between them in those cramped quarters. No.
There are 18 eps of villainous success before a final denouement in the last few moment. The Korean legal and prison system appear to be a colossal waste of time. Everyone is falling over themselves to prostrate themselves for gain - with no shame- and apparently no one actually monitoring the services.
Watching the catalog of more and more crimes mounting up became frankly tiring - they were so predictable too, and that was boring.
Nearly every character apart from JiSung was pretty weakly written - almost caricatures, though many of them were actually quite fondly defined.
The kids were well played but experienced child actors, and the chemistry between them and their adults was good - the grown ups looked as if they actually enjoyed the children - mostly they managed to avoid the saccharine infancy that sickens me.
I found JiSung mesmerising in this, and I rewatched it solely for his performance. Some lovely character actors too, including familiar faces, and they were fun, but this is ALL about JiSoo.
Only a phrase or two about the music. The word Trowel comes to mind. Or Shovel. Too heavy, too loud, and in your face, ramping up tension that should not need it - and very little variation in how tension is created - volume and drummish pace. You now, sometimes silence is more impactful? Not much of that here. But hey, that's just me. And this series is not so new so maybe this aspect is dated. But ... no.
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The story was told in a way that kept me guessing.
Brilliant writing I must say, the acting was fantastic as well. Omg the villain cha sun ho/min ho is so hateful. I really hated him and that is how well he acted his part.
Well done! ???????????????
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Tense & gripping, it kept me anxious all the time!
In the process of solving a suspicious suicide case, prosecutor Park Jung Woo (Ji Sung) gets charged for killing his wife and daughter. As he seeks to recollect his memory, will he succeed to prove his innocence and the truth before time is up?Tense and gripping, Defendant is a drama that is dangerously emotional, but guaranteed satisfying plot twists. It’s one of my favorites because of the performances! Ji Sung went through a lot to his role as Park Jung Woo physically & mentally, and it really shows! He tapped into raw griefs and anguishes of emotions that horribly torn me apart… T.T Uhm Ki Joon as Cha Min Ho, perfect! His face-to-face arguments with Jung Woo, their fist-fights, chasing & scheming each other were so powerful! Another highlight is the entertaining cellmates. They were unassumingly funny and I think if they’re not there, the drama would have been too painful to watch.
In stories, when all hopes are lost and the dark tunnel seems too long, it can make me frustrated, especially with memory loss trope, but they're doing a great job to keep me guessing whether Jung Woo’s inner thoughts are reliable narratives, so any slightest hope keep me rooting for him. Finally, really enjoyed the energetic OST. I'm clapping excitedly whenever the song “To the End” plays in powerful scenes very fittingly. Brilliant!
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Psychologically and legally a really great drama
The drama idea of putting a prosecutor in jail is interesting from both a legal and psychological perspective. The amnesia theme is also guided and explained neatly and realistically, which I appreciate. Exploring the past along with the protagonist, finding allies and discovering traitors are all interesting and emotional processes in this drama. Thanks to the smooth pacing of the plot and the portrayal of the characters, the viewer strongly sympathizes with the protagonist, who is played absolutely phenomenally, and as in few dramas, his emotions affected me as well. Although I am not an amnesiac prosecutor in prison, I clearly sympathized with the main character, which also involved me in the plot and the process of discovering the truth. Fair warning, however, that for a viewer with delicate emotions, this may be a rough ride. I remember after watching the drama for the first time, I really appreciated it, but I couldn't go back to it for a few years. Ji Sung is just too convincing in playing this emotionally complex character.Was this review helpful to you?
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