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The Attorney
변호인
2013 127 min South Korea 12+
★7.4
History, Drama
Director: Yang Woo-seok
Trailers
Description
Song Woo-seok is a lawyer with no clients. When his friend's son is falsely accused of a crime and tortured, he takes up the case and the course of his life changes for good.
US Gross:
$557,236
Starring
Song Kang-ho
Actor
Kwak Do-won
Actor
Yim Si-wan
Actor
Awards
Asian Film Academy 2014
— Best Actor
Asian Film Academy 2014
— Best Supporting Actress
Asian Film Academy 2014
— Best Debut
Key opinion
The Attorney is widely praised as a compelling and historically significant courtroom drama that effectively explores the intersection of personal conscience and state oppression. Led by a powerful central performance, the film succeeds as both a character study and a gripping examination of a pivotal moment in South Korean history.
| Acting | Song Kang-ho delivers a charismatic performance that anchors the emotional arc of a lawyer facing a profound life crossroads. | |
| Screenplay | The film functions as a superb courtroom drama that stands alongside classic entries in the genre. | |
| Culture | The narrative provides accessible and valuable insight into the previously obscure history of 1981 South Korea. | |
| Pacing | The plot maintains steady pacing, balancing suspenseful twists with a palpable, consistent sense of dramatic tension. | |
| Theme | The storytelling successfully interrogates complex moral themes such as the definition of heroism, the nature of gratitude, and the weight of individual conscience against state violence. |