Big Mouse (2022)

Fantastic throughout but slipped in the finale

There could have been no better project than this for Lee Jong Suk to make a comeback through. I wanted to anticipate a lot but I had also in my mind that this could be another regular thriller drama with typical elements and development. However, by the interval (better late than never), I came to realize that this is way above the standard and is actually unique of a script. It might not be a masterpiece but it is admittedly is an excellent piece of thriller.

Developed by ‘Studio Dragon’ and Produced by ‘AStory’ & ‘A-Man Project’, “Big Mouth (빅마우스)” is a hardboiled crime cum legal drama. Directed by Oh Choong Hwan and broadcasted on MBC, the drama was written by debutant writer Kim Ha Ram under the guidance of ace scriptwriters Jang Young Chul and Jung Kyung Soon. Made with 30bn won budget, it was also distributed by Disney+.

The drama keeps at center, Park Chang Ho (Lee Jung Suk), an infamous attorney with low success rate, who is known to distribute huge & empty promises, but fails to do anything, hence being named, ‘Big Mouth’ from his school days. Despite being an orphan, he has been lucky enough to have Ko Mi Ho (Im Yoon Ah) in his life, who is a skilled nurse at a famous hospital. One day, he gets a proposal from the Gucheon city mayor Choi Do Ha (Kim Joo Hun) to handle a mysterious murder case, solely because of his incompetence.
However, during his attempt to unveil the truth, he finds himself being framed as the notorious conman ‘Big Mouth’ who has been uncaught after scamming thousands of billion won sum. As every wind turns against him and his life changes overnight, he prepares himself within the Gucheon Penitentiary to fight his best to get out of it, while Miho too pulls strings to help solve the mystery surrounding the case and get to the root of it.

Other familiar actors in the drama playing major roles are: Lee Gi Young, Kwak Dong Yeon, Oh Ui Shik, Yang Kyung Won, Jeon Guk Hwan, Yang Hyung Wook, Ok Ja Yeon, Kim Jung Hyun, Jung Jae Sung, Jang Hyuk Jin, Kim Sun Hwa, Lee Yoo Joon, Oh Ryoong, Yoon Suk Hyun, Park Hoon, Kim Dong Won, Hong Ji Hee, Song Kyung Chul and Yoo Tae Joo.

Plot development is top-notch and the progression is definitely untypical of what ypu usually see in Kdrama thrillers. The pilot episode did a good job in establishing a background of both the story and the protagonist’s history, describing as to why he was called ‘big mouth’. The follow-up was steady and smooth showing how the protagonist tries to convince a mass of people as a part of his grand plan. Introduction of various elements and untwisting many knots further develops and builds immense interest of the show and I guess the ratings and popularity were hiked. There are several twists and peaks in each episode to hold the suspense and there was not a single sequence of events that lost its way. More than once, the show has such turning events that changes the entire dimension of the then situation of the show. The finale sequence would have been a pleasure and if you see it’s not really messed up but there were things that could have been avoided and there were things that could have been done better.

The two creators are pro-gamers in the industry and undoubtedly their tips have worked but in spite, it amazes me to discover that the main writer is a debutant, and this is not even an adaptation from where one can refer to for screenwriting. In short, the new jakka-nim has hit the spot proving their skills. From setting the stage, to enabling smooth and well-paced flow and from nurturing the characters to producing exciting outcomes, the show was thoroughly entertaining. Different plot elements served as a great deal of engagement. The dialogues and the momentary monologue narrations, particularly for the male protagonist, were very striking.

Making his comeback after 2 years, the maker of many popular modern dramas, Oh Choong Hwan PDnim has again been successful in implanting the entertainment factor within the audience. Owing to his directorial talent, this drama was excellent from every aspect. The very execution of screenplay has done wonders in a way that this will definitely be something the Kdrama stans will remember for long. The scenario of the Gucheon Penitentiary was well-planned and the setup meant to give off noir and shady vibes with a sense of darkness suited very well. The screen-editing with different types of sequence organization plus the sound production, made the experience even more thrilling and exhilarating.

Composed by Park Se Joon and written & sung by Justhis, “Brand New” is the one and only OST in this drama which is a rap song that was introduced at the end of the 8th episode, i. e. exactly at the interval, where a major twist takes place. I swear the vibes of the scene with the initial rap-lines were so gripping and rip-roaring that it instantly gave me goosebumps.

A case of mistaken identity escalating to a fight for survival is not new for Kdramas but what makes the drama to stand out is a unique storyline and stupendous execution. To be very honest, the theme and the overall mood of the drama are not that shabby and dark for the noir genre, instead the script is also decorated with lighter elements, which comes as a must for Korean dramas, that includes the individual arcs as well as various relationships between two and among two. I was particularly touched by the bonding between Chang Ho and his father-in law Ko Ki Kwang (Lee Ki Young), who were also co-worker at Changho’s own law firm. We can say that among all the chaos and misery he had to experience inside the prison, those moments worked like strength for him to prepare the road ahead.

Lee Jong Suk has taken up this chance of playing a character than his usual taste to challenge, learn and nurture his skills and he has visibly aced it. The range of dynamics he covers actually takes a lot to carry out: from a witless lawyer and fulsome family-man to a savage leader and wise survivor, who has to choose between life and death. Whereas the drama serves as a vehicle prepared for his comeback and he was not really exceptional, it was still appealing as a whole.

Contrastingly, Miho is lovingly yet perceptive lady who knows her strength and limits and acts with a calculative mind. Yoona is already a splendid actress and she carried out Miho very well. The medical conspiracy subplot that was portrayed through illegal and inhumane research projects done in secret and indulging Miho as the key-rider in unveiling it, was surely interesting but it somehow felt like the medium of giving Yoona more screentime, when it didn’t really relate with the main plot at times and lacked plausibility.

Kim Joo Heon as a main character is an exciting news for me, he has been a favorite actor and once again, he’s proved how fantastic skills he possesses. His firm facial expressions are the best aspect about him and the way he has utilized it throughout the show was compelling.

Yang Kyung Won’s performance as an antagonist was entertaining for sure though I had issues with accepting and adjusting with it in the initial episodes, but he improved quickly. I guess we have been so used to seeing him in the comic roles that it resulted in the awkwardness albeit his fierce negative role in a recent drama.

Romance is limited so expect the least if some of the initial sequences give you the idea that there is a lot of it in the drama. In a way, this fact serves as a strength for the overall development and quality. The love between the leads is limitless though, for the way they communicate and exchange emotions even though they don’t share much time onscreen together.

The antagonist side unlike others is very strong in the sense that, they are not very radical and know their limits and how to work with that. The hierarchy among them has been portrayed accurately with a prey-predator concept, as they are constantly pushed to pursue the leases of one another. The order of unveiling the evil was likable ngl, and then, the shift in influence was quite interesting.

The makers should be applauded for the plot elements, development and execution; all these resulted in building up a good amount of suspense. Given the usual trend in such thriller dramas, the chapter by chapter progression has been sketched in a way that, it was not at all easy to guess few things even by throwing stones into the dark. The kind of myriad twists and turn of events in the latter half of the show, especially the last four episodes, had me at awe; there were times it gave me goosebumps and had my eyes opened.

It was interesting how the drama has adapted innovative approaches in order to tackle simple subjects, by completely turning it around for which the outcomes always look much refined. A lot happened in the first episode, in the finale and in between, as well. The story and the premises entirely grip you before you realize it and the slow & steady transformation in Changho, i. e. his character development is beguiling for sure.

I am particularly upset with the ending because I was manifesting a lot. The elements there were actually caused and rooted in previous episode so we were assuming something like that might happen but when it actually did, I think it did feel a little off. the sequence of events felt rushed for sure and then the huge blow I was expecting didn’t happen at all and the manner in which things took turn were a little underwhelming. I am sure the writer must have thought it through before adding this particular event for a major character but I wish it didn’t happen.

Final Remarks… Big Mouth offers a wide range of ingredients of entertainment ad enjoyment and is actually a good thriller that should be tagged in the must watch list. With high production values and amazing performance, it results into appealing and satisfying outcomes even though there were aspects that could have been avoided from a critical pov. Please go ahead and watch it and you will realize that it has everything that pulls you in and holds you back. It was a easy 9.0 until the finale happened, so yeah!

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