Masterpiece
If you are looking for a good crime series without any cheesy romance, this is for you. I wasn’t expecting much when I first watched this but I must say it was beautifully made. The casting is superb. I love every minute of the series. There is literally no time to get bored. Every twist and turns are beautifully made. The main character Si Mok is a complete pleasure to watch and no one nailed it like Cho Seung Woo. I’m in love with this drama even in my second watch. The drama was amazing from the beginning till end with the right pacing and progression. Having watched many Korean drama without a closure makes me appreciate this drama more. Highly recommended to watch more than once.Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Plot was meandering and dragged.
I found this plot to be very tedious....Even when they finally figure out who the killer is, there's a subkiller, and a secondary killer. It just kept going on and on. And there were way way too many old men who look similar to one another.The premise of a prosecutor who does not have access to his emotions is mildly interesting, it doesn't make for compelling viewing when somebody is impassive almost the entire time. I enjoyed Bae Doona's acting, her character was refreshingly unique, and they had a really good on screen professional chemistry.
I couldn't make up my mind if Lee Joon-Hyuk was overacting? But every intense scene where his eyes were bulging out of his head in dramatic reaction to things was entertaining and fun to watch so I guess it doesn't matter in the end.
I did not find this a very enjoyable watching experience all together, but legal dramas aren't my normal genre so I think this one just wasn't for me.
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Close to perfection.
I just finished this one.Took me 3 days and i never skipped a scene.So let's dig in:
Music: Very good,thrilling at some points, pulled me in the moments.
Cast/acting/characters:
Excellent choice for all actors.They portrayted their characters the best possible way.No complains here.
Acting top notch!Never felt was fake or they were acting.From main to all support roles everyone did a great job.
My standards are always high and Korean actors/esses rarely disappoint me.
Lets talk about the chars now.For me the only interesting character was only the ML.Dont get me wronged, iam not reffering to acting,just the chars.Apart our main lead all others including the FL and all support chars were common.
Prosecutors,detectives, villains, nothing new,nothing we havent seen dozens of times in similar Kdramas.
That was the reason i felt no chemistry between the ML and the FL,because the FL's char was rather flat.
And thanks God they didnt put any romance (i would have dropped it for sure if they did)
I loved Ml's character(again nothing we already haven't seen)but his char suited nicely the whole story.
He is cold,emotionless,smart,witty.Extra bonus he is so handsome and hot AF you can't take your eyes off him!
What made me loved him the most was his character development and that is why i said he is the only interesting char from the whole show.In my humble opinion the writer should have worked more on this and give us a full progress of his development.But i guess the other chars-especially the FL-couldn't support a side story to show us this.I don't know if i express it right,i hope you get what i mean!
His character reminded me my-forever-beloved Lee Joon Gi,in Flower of evil.(Iam not comparing here but LJG's performance
in FoE is the definition of PERFECT ACTING!When i have time i will write a review on the masterpiece called FoE)Anyways back to our topic.Story/plot:Well scripted,well executed,well performed.But it gets an 8.Sorry i cannot give more and i will explain why,
Well structured and very detailed story,Too detailed with too many infos given,many names invlolved too.
Many times the story was confusing and get me bored.I was hooked episode after episode but at the same time the corruption theme was getting heavier and heavier and at some point i fed up with it
.Each episode pointed at another suspect and this is something that usually overexcites me,but here i dont know why most of the times felt off like you know the writer tried too hard to create suspence.Long story short i wish the drama was more focused on the crime/investigation/whodidit/ than the corruption.But oh well is a Kdrama and we all know Korean's favorite word is...yes!Corruption!Lmao.
16 episodes over 1 hour each was too much to handle.They could have wrapped everything in less.
The ending was more than satisfying and i applause it.I wanted to be more thrilling in a way though!Damn i know this is an almost perfect drama,iam the weirdo one,shoot me!
I know there is a S2 and i will definetelly watch it,but not anytime soon.I had enough of my corruption dose,i will take a break
from the heavy corruption dramas for a while.
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One of the best
This is so well written, well executed and acted. It pulls you in and you will feel these people to be real. It's just excellent.The male lead does such an outstanding job playing this character with nuance instead of flat and unrelatable like you might expect. You're drawn to him. Despite his outward apathetic demeanor, he manages to let you see the empathy that is actually in him, despite what others see.
His relationship with the co-lead is endearing and they act so well with each other. It really makes the entire show.
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This review may contain spoilers
deep psychological analysis ,detective
Its a very good detective story with great pleasure and would be glad for season 3! Thank u ) !Separately, I would like to immediately note the unsurpassed performance of Cho Seung Woo in the role of Hwang Shi Mok
He perfectly played the role of a man who had undergone brain surgery and did not experience any emotions afterwards. It’s physically difficult simply because we react in one way or another to some events, details in our lives every day, and even with complete indifference, at least some emotion manifests itself momentarily, throughout the day, and it’s very difficult to maintain the same facial expression, let alone for the whole day or even for a couple of minutes! Or not to react to anger or someone’s attacks, it’s difficult not to respond as emotionally as your opponent in the event of a dispute, despite the fact that you are a prosecutor and “in front of everyone.”
I'm sure it was also a little difficult for the actor to “maintain” the same facial expression throughout the entire series! But he coped with this role perfectly! In the 2nd season, I asked myself the question, “maybe it’s the actor himself who is “without emotions’ that he plays so well .. or plays himself?”), but this was the first time I watched the series with him, so I can’t judge yet! But I really liked his performance. I started watching because
Lee Joon Hyuk thinking that he would play a “good detective” .. and even when I realized that he wasn’t because his character is a “vile prosecutor”, I still didn’t regret watching it).
This detective story may seem boring to some because there are not many events, it is not so dynamic, but this is its feature!
Each episode shows how a person who has undergone brain surgery, who is completely (or partially) deprived of experiencing emotions (as well as feeling the emotions of other people), struggles with that every day, trying to solve problems relying only on his logic and “ 6’feeling”, so to speak... how It was said in the series itself that people who have undergone brain surgery are not always completely devoid of feelings... although it was also shown as sometimes Hwang Shi Mok
could not understand when people talked to him about “feeling angry/embarrassed/embarrassed.”.. he simply did not understand what it was and how it was, while those around him did not understand him, considering him strange.. (except for those who knew about his past).
What's amazing about Hwang Shi Mok's character
He could clearly see when the suspect was lying or hiding something (which suggests that he still had empathy after the operation) and he solved all the cases better than other prosecutors and investigators. He was always one step ahead.
This series (like all cinema in principle) is useful because you can better learn to understand people, understand that behind every facial expression there can be a lot of different feelings hidden, since people express their feelings differently in the same circumstances.. it’s interesting to watch the detective’s thoughts and his analysis of those around him in an attempt to find the truth.. it shows a deep psychological analysis of individual characters, their actions, motive.. I love it, I really liked it!))
I’ll make a special note about the music! It was chosen just perfectly and is very compatible with the theme of the series itself and the events developing in it
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Story: Corruption, legal maneuvers with murder. Not a new tale, just well told modern re-enactment.
Acting: The male&female lead set the bar for the younger generations for quality acting - what it looks and feels like. All characters were well thought through and delivered. Excellent
Music: well done -
RW: When drama landscape has too much bubble-gum drama possibly. Too many more to view.
This is adult drama. If looking for riveting, just enough eps, thought-provoking, quality acting, no rom, and pure edge of seat, this must be on your list.
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Finally, Consistency!
Wow, what a masterpiece! No unnecessary romance, solid plot, excellent writing, superb directing, and spectacular acting. The series stayed true to its genres of suspense, mystery, and thriller. It took me a while to start watching this, and now I'm sad it's over. It will be a while before I find another K-drama this excellent. I definitely recommend it if you’re into thriller, crime drama, law, mystery, and suspense.Was this review helpful to you?
Forest of secrets indeed
This show got me back into K dramas after a long hiatus after college. I was tired of watching the usual romcoms and found this one a refreshing departure from what I had been used to seeing. From the outset, the story seems to be a straightforward murder mystery, but as you keep watching, you realize soon that the web being spun if far more complicated. I found myself delightfully second guessing characters and trying to figure out who everything was connected right up until the thrilling climax.The talented cast give as a whole grounded and nuanced performances, fittingly restrained (for the most part) for the darker tone of the series overall. But it's not a downer of a story; throughout the whole drama, you can't help but root for Hwang Si-Mok, as he charges ahead in search of the truth.
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That was some STORY
I'm a fan of mystery thriller dramas since I can remember. There are stories which infuses confusion and questions. There are some which drags everything to the very end only to give a plot twist that's not even necessarily explains the rest 15 episodes waste of time. There are some which starts with a gripping storytelling but eventually falls apart in the midway or can't live up to it's expectations by a sloppy ending. Hear me out. Stranger comes under none of this. Prosecution dramas are hard to watch. It needs patience, brain to understand what's going on and memory to remember the hints and incidents that'd eventually make you aware of the scene that's happening. It's boring most of the times. But Stranger is the best drama I've seen so far in the mystery and law genre. There is not a single line wasted, not a single scene that would bore you, not a single character that doesn't have an appeal to the storyline. What makes this the best is the pace of storytelling and how amazingly it is told. "Who's right, who's wrong?" This question was answered so brilliantly in the last episode that I was left stunned.What an AMAZING ACTOR the main lead was. Both the female leads were excellently written. The ending theme music needs to be appreciated too. The poster appealed to me and it really lived up to it. I'd rewatch it if I ever forget about it
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