The Client (2011) User Reviews

Well crafted Courtroom / Legal Thriller...

[lathe-of-heaven · 7/10 · 18 March 2014]

Heh... Am I the ONLY one who saw this...? : )

Seriously though, this was a very good film; nothing legendary by any means, but very well done, with excellent acting, and a good, involving story. There is nothing overtly stylish or particularly outstanding that would set this apart as way above other good Legal Thrillers, but it is competently done in every way and directed very well.

Just ONE tiny little thing that I couldn't help but notice because I happen to be an EXTREMELY avid fan of this other film, but I kind of smiled because there was just ONE brief scene shown towards the latter part of the film that was lifted almost LINE FOR LINE from the TRAGICALLY underrated film 'FROM THE HIP' (1987) starring a most excellent and delightful Judd Nelson in one of his best roles ever, not to mention an absolutely CHILLING performance by John Hurt. Heh, I'm sitting here thinking, 'These sly B@stards... I wonder if anyone will actually know where this is from...?'

So, as long as you don't mind reading subtitles and you DO like good Courtroom Drama and films with interesting Police investigations, then you should really enjoy this movie.

One of the must-watch Korean Movies!

[theredsholic · 8/10 · 30 December 2020]

One of the must-watch Korean movies, the story and plot are enigmatic and full of question marks.

Contains a plot twist where the audience is invited to guess who is right! Extraordinary!

if you like good courtroom dramas, this is another one

[bcheng93 · 7/10 · 18 June 2014]

this movie has like one of my 3 favorite male actors in it and that was one of the main reasons i watched it. my 3 favorite male actors at this time are Mads Mikkelsen, Mark Strong and Jung Woo Ha, and i would literally watch any movie that they are in because in my opinion these 3 guys haven't been in a bad movie yet. Jung plays a famous defense attorney in this movie and he has to defend a man who everybody else believes and says is the culprit but he feels otherwise. Very intriguing movie, not the best courtroom drama ever but definitely a first option movie. Jung like the other 2 favorite actors of mine that i mentioned earlier just has something about him that makes him very watchable and mesmerizing as a actor. the best actors and the ones that will eventually win major awards are not the super good looking guys but the guy that will catch your eye because he can flat out act. the story was really tight, production values were very high, there were no bad acting, finally a film from south Korea that wasn't over saturated in color(getting really sick of that) and you have the great(yes!i'm calling him great already) Jung Woo Ha anchoring one of the main leads and you're in for a blisteringly good time. bust out the popcorn and candy and be prepared to get engrossed in a very good movie.enjoy! can't believe there is only one other reviewer before me and can't believe so many people miss out on a very very good movie.

You got to watch this movie

[bondblackberry · 10/10 · 3 May 2017]

I love thrillers and this is one of the best. If you love to watch thrillers based on murder cases in trial, you will love this. The movie starts with the murder and the police catch the husband of the victim as the killer. They don't, however, have the body, and she is suspected to being killed. A young precipitous lawyer takes the case in favor of the killer. The move rolls through court room and internecine fight between rival lawyers. However, they missed some important issues in the case. One, what happened to the CCTV video? Two, why the prosecution didn't pursue other possible killers? Three, some scenes didn't sync well like the arrest in the highway. Nevertheless, the climax has an anti-climax and that makes you thrilled. Besides, the final comment by the rival lawyer was superb: "He didn't look back!" One could even make a Sherlock Holmes logical reasoning based on that. In short, if you are into thriller and mystery movies, please watch this.

The Client

[0U · 15 February 2020]

The Client is an amazing movie, nice direction, very good actors, one of the rarest thrillers I have ever seen with an awesome climax and background story. Totally you will not regret a minute watching it.

A decent flick

[ridi-arahan · 8/10 · 18 May 2020]

The movie has its moments, driving the story together. It's a good balance of drama and thriller, keeps you into glue. What worked:

• story
• lead actors

What didn't work:

• some might find it more of a drama rather than a thriller
• pretty pretentious at times how it is going to end

Final verdict: It's a one time watch. Must say there are better thrillers from S Korea.

Some major plot holes but still compelling and intriguing

[sophiamarinova · 8/10 · 27 November 2022]

Ok, so I'd have rated this movie lower but it really picked up after the mid part. It's intriguing, well-acted and simply engaging. My biggest complaint is the fate and substance of the CCTV footage- we saw a bit and it figures why they're hiding it, but overall I didn't understand if it did capture the killer or not. Why couldn't the defense demand it? It was not listed as evidence but there were witnesses who informally testified detective Lee demanded it. He was not going to be allowed as a witness but there were others who could testify and cast doubt on the prosecution. I still can't say I know exactly what was on the footage except for the little we were shown where we find out why it was hidden. It was made confusing and should have been clarified better. Moreover the entire timeline of the murder was confusing too. I couldn't say how things unfolded with any precision. I have to rewatch to see if I missed something. Jang Hyuk hairstyle is way too hip for someone in prison. Other than that, enjoyed both the acting and the intrigue. Solid movie out of south Korea!

Imperfect, but philosophically compelling courtroom drama

[Hallelujah289 · 8/10 · 15 January 2023]

"The Client" is a mystery thriller court drama, with many red herrings that plays on familiar legal drama tropes. Within that is serious questions about justice, and the way to go about getting justice. As well as what general social consequences there are when a method to get justice goes wrong.

To contrast with the dramatic moments is criminal defense attorney who doesn't take himself all that seriously. He probably could have his own tv show, he's quite intriguing! His assistants as well have a lighter manner, creating some almost sitcom moments.

I would say this movie does a good job fleshing out both sides of the faults and issues of defense and prosecutor attorneys. I don't know the Korean justice system that well, but some of the calls the judge made, and the objective as well, seemed odd however. I have my doubts about whether "The Client" is that technically correct legally speaking. Especially the end. But I think there is enough nuance to make the movie philosophically interesting.

A bonus is the unexpected twist at the end. Kind of wish maybe it played out differently. But I do enjoy the banter between the two attorneys representing different sides. Maybe their relationship is the actual point of the film.