One Dollar Lawyer
Summary
One Dollar Lawyer is a 2022 South Korean legal drama starring Namkoong Min and Kim Ji-eun. Charging only a dollar in legal fees, the eccentric prosecutor-turned-lawyer Cheon Ji-hoon and his office manager, Mr. Sa, take on the aspiring Baek Ma-ri as a probationary employee. From the smaller injustices of workplace bullying to larger cases revolving around murder and art theft, the team takes on any case for a single dollar.
Assessment
One Dollar Lawyer shines with its cast of loveable characters, superb acting, and intelligent storytelling. With both short-term, more episodic plot points and cases and an overarching mystery/conspiracy, the twelve-episode series never feels boring. Additionally, the character chemistry and acting that goes into it makes for some incredibly witty scenes between the three main characters.
In terms of cleanliness, there is some blood and intense themes, but no gore. There is some cussing and a couple of adult jokes hidden around, but there is little to no romance or adult scenes. As a piece of secular media, there isn’t much in terms of a theological message, however, it makes several points about revenge and justice that line up with Biblical takes on those subjects.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Acting: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Cinematography: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Music: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: N/A
Age Appropriateness — Appropriate for intended audiences of teens and adults.
Talk
This is absolutely a sleeper hit. The only reason I knew it existed is that the two main characters both had cameos in a different kdrama and I pretty much immediately had to investigate. And I am tickled that I did, because I found a really solid story with great characters, a fantastic vibe, and a plot that was both familiar in some ways and unique in others. And I really, really liked how it handled this idea of justice vs. revenge. From a Christian perspective, I thought they did a stellar job.
One of the biggest draws to this series is definitely the acting of the three main actors. The story itself is great, but I think without the charm and charisma from Namkoong Min, Kim Ji-eun, and Park Jin-woo (and the others) it wouldn’t have been quite as amazing. The three put together such great, sassy, silly chemistry between their characters that most of the fun in each scene was just watching them interact. Honestly, the show gives me really great Season One Fiery Priest vibes without being quite so heavy.
In terms of the plot and the story’s overall message, I really want to go on and on about it, but I’m not sure how to do that without spoiling anything. Suffice it to say, they took an approach I did not expect with a few things and I appreciated it. Some of it was just trope-busting plot points that were refreshingly new, but a few things had to do with the deeper message. Good stuff for the Christian to think on an internalize.
Where to Enjoy
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