Shehe
This review may contain spoilers
A Nail Biting Thriller all the Way
One of the best, if not the best drama of 2022. Fast paced action, great acting from Lee Jung Suk and of course, the drama itself that kept me on my toes from beginning to end. I must say I was also impressed with actors Kim Joo Hun as the villain Choi Do Ha and Yang Kyun Won as Kong Ji Hoon who was great in all his obnoxiousness.
I would have given this drama a 10 rating except that, I was not impressed with the partnership of Lee Jung Suk and Im Yoon Ah as husband and wife. Their lack of chemistry bothered me, especially, Yoon Ah's lucklustre acting were at best, hits and misses. She has this frozen look on her face most of the time that there's hardly expressive emotion that say, a particular scene calls for. Lee Jung Suk never disappoints as an actor and to his credit, he did study acting and was exceptional as Big Mouse. But when he and Yoon Ah were together in a scene, they just looked uncomfortable and awkward around each other. I did not feel any love or warmth in their embraces; they were more like best friends rather than husband and wife. They never even kissed throughout the drama which is weird considering they're supposed to be madly in love with each other. This weakness to an otherwise exceptional drama is why I shaved off some points in my rating. Overall though, I'd still give credit to screenwriter: Kim Ha Ram for writing an outstanding screenplay and directors Oh Choong Hwan and Bae Hyun Jin for a job well done.
THE ENDING
I was one of the few who wrote an early review, before I had the chance to read all the amazing and detailed reviews that followed. One of the comments a lot of viewers expressed was that the ending was rushed. For me, the ending started from the moment Choi Do Ha won as mayor and then, to the disappointment of Big Mouse and his team, as well as the viewers, including me (I did not see that coming), the court found him not guilty. To top it all, Chang Ho's wife, Mi Ho died and became one of the many victims of the company Choi Do Ha wrested from the elder chairman by killing him. Just when Choi Do Ha was celebrating his victory and having it all, he meets his death at the hands of Chang Ho.
Do Ha's death also signalled the direction Chang Ho was now undertaking with his life, and that is, to continue as Big Mouse. Earlier, he vowed and made it clear that he will only stay as Big Mouse until he puts Choi Do Ha in jail through the legal system. But then, he realized that the legal system was not perfect and people like his wife would die without justice meted on the guilty. Chang Ho bought the building and poisoned the pool that eventually led to Do Ha's death. Now that, by definition is murder, a clear indication that Chang Ho changed the course of his life, from the strait laced lawyer to head of an organization that functions outside the law.
I think it was a brilliant piece of writing on the part of the writer. The writer dropped hints like crumbs where Chang Ho experienced one setback after another so that at the end, the viewers will realize and understand Chang Ho's choice. What better poetic justice handed down to Do Ha than to die the same way his victims like Mi Ho died (radioactive poisoning). The last words of Chang Ho to Do Ha said it all., "The law was made to save people. But you don't need the law."
I would have given this drama a 10 rating except that, I was not impressed with the partnership of Lee Jung Suk and Im Yoon Ah as husband and wife. Their lack of chemistry bothered me, especially, Yoon Ah's lucklustre acting were at best, hits and misses. She has this frozen look on her face most of the time that there's hardly expressive emotion that say, a particular scene calls for. Lee Jung Suk never disappoints as an actor and to his credit, he did study acting and was exceptional as Big Mouse. But when he and Yoon Ah were together in a scene, they just looked uncomfortable and awkward around each other. I did not feel any love or warmth in their embraces; they were more like best friends rather than husband and wife. They never even kissed throughout the drama which is weird considering they're supposed to be madly in love with each other. This weakness to an otherwise exceptional drama is why I shaved off some points in my rating. Overall though, I'd still give credit to screenwriter: Kim Ha Ram for writing an outstanding screenplay and directors Oh Choong Hwan and Bae Hyun Jin for a job well done.
THE ENDING
I was one of the few who wrote an early review, before I had the chance to read all the amazing and detailed reviews that followed. One of the comments a lot of viewers expressed was that the ending was rushed. For me, the ending started from the moment Choi Do Ha won as mayor and then, to the disappointment of Big Mouse and his team, as well as the viewers, including me (I did not see that coming), the court found him not guilty. To top it all, Chang Ho's wife, Mi Ho died and became one of the many victims of the company Choi Do Ha wrested from the elder chairman by killing him. Just when Choi Do Ha was celebrating his victory and having it all, he meets his death at the hands of Chang Ho.
Do Ha's death also signalled the direction Chang Ho was now undertaking with his life, and that is, to continue as Big Mouse. Earlier, he vowed and made it clear that he will only stay as Big Mouse until he puts Choi Do Ha in jail through the legal system. But then, he realized that the legal system was not perfect and people like his wife would die without justice meted on the guilty. Chang Ho bought the building and poisoned the pool that eventually led to Do Ha's death. Now that, by definition is murder, a clear indication that Chang Ho changed the course of his life, from the strait laced lawyer to head of an organization that functions outside the law.
I think it was a brilliant piece of writing on the part of the writer. The writer dropped hints like crumbs where Chang Ho experienced one setback after another so that at the end, the viewers will realize and understand Chang Ho's choice. What better poetic justice handed down to Do Ha than to die the same way his victims like Mi Ho died (radioactive poisoning). The last words of Chang Ho to Do Ha said it all., "The law was made to save people. But you don't need the law."
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