'The Evil Lawyer' Netflix Review: Thai Legal Drama Is Enthralling, Twisted, & Lowkey Funny

The Evil Lawyer is incredibly dramatic, totally unpredictable, and kinda funny as well. I genuinely didn’t know what to expect from this Thai legal drama, because I don’t think this subgenre really works in the episodic format. Daredevil is a legal drama, sure, but it’s primarily a superhero show; I mean, Born Again almost did away with the courtroom scenes altogether and increased its screentime after fans protested it. She-Hulk was downright abysmal. I know that Better Call Saul is considered to be one of the best shows out there, but I never managed to finish it; I’ll get to it one day. Lincoln Lawyer is engaging, but only sporadically. The first season of Criminal Justice (the Indian one) was alright; I couldn’t be bothered to watch the subsequent seasons. Guilty Minds was passable at best, forgettable at worst. Now, if you look at the state of the subgenre in the feature film space, it’s amazing. You have stuff like The Social Network, Bridge of Spies, 12 Angry Men, Jai Bhim, Assi, and the list just goes on. So, yeah, my expectations going into The Evil Lawyer were pretty neutral. I was apprehensive enough to avoid being disappointed, and open-minded enough to accept whatever curveballs it threw at me. And, having watched the show, I have to say that it was a totally wild ride.

Created by Jakkarin Thepvong, Songphon Jantharasom, and Nottapon Boonprakob, The Evil Lawyer introduces us to the titular attorney, Jittri, through a heinous case where a woman named Yupin’s dead baby has been trafficked by Master Boonlue, a shaman, right after she met with an accident and the baby was extracted via an emergency C-section. No, Jittri isn’t representing Yupin, she is batting for Boonlue, which says everything that needs to be said about the kind of lawyer she is. And the fact that she manages to “give the W” to Boonlue (because that’s literally what she’s being paid to do), even though the odds are clearly stacked against him, goes to show what a shrewd lawyer Jittri is. Jittri’s colleague, Manow, resigns from her firm because she is disgusted by Jittri’s lack of ethics and, after exiting the court, Yupin douses Jittri in blood so that it serves as a reminder of who she is as a person. We are also introduced to Mek, who is the complete opposite of Jittri. He is told to simply stand beside Panitran while he admits that his criminal negligence is the reason why his factory went up in flames. But as soon Mek realizes that Panitran isn’t actually the owner, he tries to prove that Panitran isn’t guilty of any crimes. Now, since the prosecutor is General Anan’s son, Techin, is trying to send Panitran to jail to cover up the crimes being committed by his father and his father’s partners, Mek’s righteousness ends up backfiring, and he finds himself being framed for Techin’s murder. Who is Mek’s only way out of this mess? That’s right: Jittri.

I think the main problem with most serialized legal dramas is that the main plot, or the primary case which is gonna be solved over the course of the entire show, is usually very flimsy. So, a bunch of secondary and tertiary criminal cases are thrown at the characters to make the narrative seem meatier, and also to pad the runtime until the finale arrives. This method of storytelling kills the momentum of the story, hampers the evolution of the characters, and makes the overall viewing experience kinda forgettable. I guess the writers, Jakkarin Thepvong, Sureechay Kaewses, Pannaporn Watthanapong, Usicha Udomsak, Sopana Chaowwiwatkul, and Nottapon Boonprakob, were clearly aware of these issues in this genre and ensured that they didn’t make the same mistakes. Initially, it seems like they have employed that tried and tested format, but by the time the second or third case arrives, you start to realize the work they’ve put into connecting every single subplot with the main plot. And you can’t even call it contrived, because that’s just how Jittri functions; she chooses cases that are gonna benefit her in the long run. On top of that, this storytelling approach helps flesh out Jittri in interesting ways, because you see how defending the most heinous human beings and chastising innocent people, just to get her revenge, is affecting her. I mean, Jittri is one of the most fascinating characters of the year.

The exploration of the supporting characters in The Evil Lawyer is marvelous. Mek is the audience surrogate, and he always reacts like any of us would react to Jittri’s diabolical schemes. Anan and his associates are so brilliantly villainous that they justify the borderline immoral routes Jittri takes to defeat them. But as soon as you start siding with Jittri, you are hit with the realization that the concept of true justice is as good as dead. Humanity has become so corrupt and demonic that you need a devil on your side to make sure you don’t fall victim to a politician, bureaucrat, or businessman’s illicit practices. The show’s visual storytelling is top notch as well. I mean, it’s heaven for fans of match cuts. And no, it’s not done for stylistic purposes alone. Every single match cut underscores the themes and emotional stakes of the narrative. It also goes to show that every frame has been hand-crafted to perfection; which is something you can’t say about a lot of other legal dramas or streaming shows in general. However, the highlight of the show are these moments where Jittri and whoever she’s questioning are transported into the crime scene; the VFX, SFX, camerawork, music, and editing in those scenes are genuinely mind-boggling. The only major issue I have is the tone. Most of the comedic moments with Kung, Meuk, and Nemo landed well, but the ones with Dr. Korn really killed the mood.

The performances from the entire cast of The Evil Lawyer are splendid. Rhatha Phongam’s cold hard demeanor never feels one note, and the rare moments of vulnerability that she shows really tug at your heartstrings. Nat Kitcharit’s “hurt puppy” can seem monotonous, but if you look at it closely, you can see the subtle ways in which he’s showing the evolution, or maybe devolution, of his character. Rhatha and Nat’s chemistry is simply amazing. Atchareeya Potipipittanakorn does a great job of showing the complexity that comes with participating in politics and activism in this day and age. Songsit Roongnophakunsri is downright chilling; it doesn’t matter if he’s smiling or scowling, he is really scary. The few microseconds in which he shows fear is satisfying. Popetorn Soonthornyanakij, Pansakorn Teekarungruang, Sawanee Navinthananchai, Sira Simmee, Grithsha Kaeosawat, Kanis Chansuwan, and the rest of the supporting cast deserve a deafening round of applause for the incredible work that they’ve done. If the writers and directors would have fine-tuned the comedic bits, I would have given it a perfect score. But don’t let that dissuade you from giving the show a try; it definitely is worth a watch. In addition to that, I’d advise all the showrunners and streaming platforms that are trying to manufacture their next hit legal drama to please watch The Evil Lawyer and take detailed notes.