Drama Review: Remember (儿子的战争)

This legal thriller and melodrama (2015) caught my attention thanks to an entertainment magazine article I read about actor Yoo Seung-ho and his latest work, I'm Not a Robot. Since I'd enjoyed that drama I thought it'd be good to catch up on Yoo's previous work and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I've to say his acting skills in this drama was even more impressive due to the intense story plot as it requires (lots of) emotional acting skills.

In a nutshell, this drama is about the relationship between a father and son, power and conspiracies, as well as revenge and justice. There are bits of romance too, but I've to say the romance is a bit too short and bittersweet but a beautiful one. To begin with, Seo Jin-woo (starring Yoo Seung-ho) has Hyperthymesia, a condition which allows him to remember things in detail. When his neighbour's daughter was murdered, Jin-woo's father became a suspect since he was last seen in the woods with the girl's body. The thing is, Jin-woo's father is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and his memory comes and goes at times. Apparently he lost his direction home after buying a mobile phone for Jin-woo (which he had bought a few and has forgotten) and he couldn't recall anything and why he was in the woods.

Secondary characters such as lawyer Park Dong-ho (starring Park Sung-woong) and antagonist Nam Gyu-man (starring Namkoong Min) are this story's "backbone" as both of them played an important part in Jin-woo's story; the former is both an ally and a foe to Jin-woo, considering his father was the indirect cause to the death of Jin-woo's mother and brother when the latter is the real murderer and due to his family's power and wealth, they could easily persuade/bribe others to take on their side. Jin-woo later became a lawyer since he felt he could trust no one and this begins the tug of war between justice and power.

Nam Gyu-man vs Seo Jin-woo

(Credit Source)

Remember may be too dramatic at times but I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolds and it kept me on edge at most times. I felt for Jin-woo throughout the story; it seemed like his journey was full of bumps and heartbreak. Park Dong-ho is a character who will grow on you as the story progresses. Despite living around gangsters since a teenager, he has his own principles and at some point I was even moved by the things he has done for Jin-woo. As for the antagonist, Nam Gyu-man is a character whom you'd love to kick his butt because he is simply cold-blooded and evil. Due to actor Namkoong Min's outstanding performance in portraying the twisted Gyu-man, this has won him an Excellence Award for Actor in a Miniseries at the 5th APAN Star Awards (2016) as well as nominations for Grand Prize at the year-end SBS Drama Awards and for Best Actor at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards (2016) (info from Wikipedia).

All in all this was an intense legal melodrama supported by a cast of interesting characters (not to mention the great performance of the artistes who played their respective roles) and an unforgettable plot which had me glued to the screen unfailingly for the past two weeks. Recommended.

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