Seoul: This line from the courtroom drama "The Verdict" encapsulates the film's brutal core theme - one witnessed too often around the globe. Co-directed by Lee Chang-hee of Netflix's original series "A Killer Paradox" and Indonesian director Yusron Fuadi, the film opens with a tense scene where solemn-faced Raka (Rio Dewanto), a court security guard, retrieves weapons from his locker before entering a packed courtroom and locking the door.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the film reveals Raka's motive in a brief flash, showing ultrasound photos attached to the locker door, hinting at the hostage standoff that is about to unfold. The scene quickly shifts to a completely different Raka, an all-smiles and affectionate would-be father excited about the birth of his first child with his wife, Nina (Niken Anjani), who has just passed the bar exam.
Raka takes Nina to a fancy hotel restaurant to celebrate her becoming a lawyer, using a complimentary voucher he received from a wealthy man who had just evaded an attack by a grieving mother outside the courthouse. This mother is the parent of a young man severely burned by the wealthy man's son. Nina, who firmly believes in the virtue of law and justice, is angered upon learning the voucher's origin and storms off to the ladies' room.
On her way, she accidentally bumps into Dika, the son of another powerful family, causing him to drop his mobile phone. In a fit of rage, Dika impulsively decides to prove to his friend - the one who burned the man - that he, too, is above the law. He follows Nina into the ladies' room and stabs her in the stomach with a broken flower vase. Moments later, Raka, concerned by Nina's prolonged absence, discovers her bleeding on the floor and catches Dika still at the scene.
The narrative takes a predictable yet disturbing turn as Dika hires Timo (Reza Rahadian), a cunning and unethical lawyer willing to do anything for money. The film marks the first overseas project for director Lee, known for his work in Korean thrillers like "The Vanished" (2017) and the OCN series "Strangers from Hell," before gaining international recognition with "A Killer Paradox."
While shot entirely in Indonesia with an all-Indonesian cast, the screenplay was written by Korean writers, including director Lee himself. Despite the film's cross-cultural collaboration, a growing trend in Korean cinema, it follows a well-worn path - a justice system serving the privileged, leaving a desperate victim to take matters into their own hands.
What sets it apart, however modestly, is that the protagonist tries to remain within legal boundaries, reinforcing his core belief in the rule of law. The male protagonist's depiction is adequate, but a more intense portrayal might have better conveyed the profound grief of losing both wife and unborn child in a single moment.
"The Verdict," released in Indonesia on July 16 last year, is set for its Korean debut on Jan. 29.