They
say money can’t buy love, but it can retain the best legal defense available.
Sometimes that is just as important, or more so. For Im Mi-ra, this would be
one of those times. The entitled heiress stands accused of murdering her
father’s fiancée. Still loyal to his daughter, he makes a somewhat an orthodox
choice hiring Choi Hee-jung, but he is a shrewd judge of character. Choi’s
integrity is about the only thing we can take for certain in Jung Ji-woo’s Heart Blackened, which opens today in Los Angeles.
Yes,
this is indeed a Korean remake of the Aaron Kwok-Sun Honglei-Yu Nan legal
thriller, Silent Witness, but Jung
has shaken it up a bit. He largely parallels initial set-up of Fei Xing’s film,
but he shifts the focus from the prosecutor to the defense attorney. Although
he is faithful to the big twist, he makes some alterations to the ending, so
viewers who have seen the original still won’t know with 100% certainty where
the film is headed.
Given
the fame of Yoo-na, an aging but still popular K-pop idol, this murder case is
sure to be a media circus. Ordinarily, Im Tae-san’s sharky corporate firm
handles all his legal business, but they subcontract Choi for this case. Due to
their friendship at school, Mi-ra is more likely to trust the young,
independent counsel. In terms of image, she is a good counterbalance to the
Ims. Unfortunately, the case looks bad for them. Technically, there is no
smoking gun, but the circumstantial evidence is as damning as it gets. However,
a stalkerish fan might have video footage of the vehicular murder. A mad
scramble ensues to recover that footage, sight unseen, so it is sure to
surprise at least one of the interested parties.
Filling
Sun Honglei’s shoes is a tall order, but Choi Min-sik is more than sufficiently
grizzled and steely. He definitely commands the screen as Im Tae-san, but he
also delivers some surprisingly poignant moments down the stretch. Park
Shin-hye is terrific in the expanded role of shy but principled Choi Hee-jung.
By elevating her to the lead, the film takes on a bit of a Jagged Edge vibe.
Lee
Soo-kyung also shows impressive range as Im Mi-ra, who is allowed more room for
self-awareness and growth this time around. Lee Honey’s warm but messily human
portrayal of Yoo-na makes us sorry to see her murdered, even though it is
necessary to get the picture going. However, it is unclear why the film allots
so much screen time to slimy super-fan Kim Dong-myung, beyond actor Ryu
Jun-yeol’s teen heartthrob popularity.
Heart Blackened is a slickly
produced film that deftly turns its surprise reversals of fortune, but it is never
too far divorced from the human element. It also features some of Korea’s
biggest stars and most reliable character actors, all working at the top of
their games. Highly recommended for thriller fans (even those who have already
seen Silent Witness), Heart Blackened opens today
(11/10) at the Los Angeles and Buena Park CGV Cinemas.
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