The story unfolds itself nicely and successfully leads the audience as each layer of the mystery is presented. The film will take you through some twists and turns, and makes you wonder about what is really going on behind the scenes. While the movie is satisfying overall, the major flaw is the lack of depth in character development. With the exception of Choi Min Sik's character, the rest of the cast are underutilized as they play pivotal characters that have very little flavour to them. If I were to interpret this to be intentional, then the archetypal/standard personalities should complement overarching message, or plot (i.e. the trial) - but the plot is too weak to justify that. As for the acting, there is nothing to complain or awe about for that same reason, despite the casting. Choi Min Sik plays the financial overlord, whose character develops directly in parallel with the movie. Park Shin Hye plays an inexperienced lawyer, which serves as a refreshing break (and hopefully beginning) from the mould given to her by drama roles.

If I were to summarize this lightly, I would say that it is worth a relaxed watch, but there is really no need to put your detective hat on during the movie. Enjoy the ride, but know that while they intended to pull at heartstrings, they forgot to put them there in the first place.

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This is a film that beautifully captures a nation's pride, sorrow, and shame. For someone who does not enjoy political soapboxing and preaching, this movie does not do that, despite being drenched with historical and political motivation. It focuses on the commonality amongst humans - that is, having humanity and empathy. The personalities presented are indeed painted with the biases of the "model Korean", as acted by Song Kang Ho et al. , but it is not a distracting one because it plays well with the central message(s) of the film.

I came into this movie expecting nothing more than a time-kill, but left with a desire to learn more context; I was very satisfied, even when watching a genre I am unfamiliar with. Deep emotional responses are invoked from the general audience, through typical tactics, but that is nowhere near a fault. While some may argue that this film exploded in popularity because of the Korean political climate near and before its release (i.e. Park Geun Hye), it could have easily stood tall without that added fuel.

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