The Advocate: A Missing Body 2015

Byeon Ho-sung Lee Sun-kyun is a hotshot lawyer at a major firm, celebrated for a near 100% win rate, and he lives by a hard-edged creed: “Winning is justice, and I am the winner.” When a big pharmaceuticals conglomerate wins a high-profile case, its chairman Moon Ji-hoon Jang Hyun-sung turns to Byeon again, asking him to defend Moon’s chauffeur Kim Jeong-hwan Choi Jae-woong, who is suspected of murdering Han Min-jeong Kim Yoon-hye. A blood-streaked crime scene exists, but there is no body and no witnesses to speak for or against him, leaving the truth frustratingly out of reach.

Kim claims he and Han were dating, a detail that unsettles the prosecution. Rookie prosecutor Jin Sun-mi Kim Go-eun believes Kim stalked Han, while Byeon edges toward a familiar win, determined to dismantle Jin’s narrative and prove his client’s innocence. Yet on the final day of the trial, the defendant drops a bombshell—he confesses to killing Han in court—shocking the courtroom and triggering questions about possible evidence tampering. In a rare reversal, Byeon abandons his usual certainty and partners with Jin to search for the truth beyond the verdict. As they dig, subtle clues surface, hinting that the case may be entwined with Moon in ways that could shake the foundations of the entire investigation.

What begins as a routine defense gradually becomes a dangerous inquiry into motive, influence, and accountability. Byeon, pulled between his unwavering belief in winning and the unsettling possibility that justice requires more than a flawless record, finds his methods tested to their core. The investigation deepens as they uncover inconsistencies, forcing Byeon to reassess his approach to law, power, and loyalty. At every turn, the line between right and wrong blurs, and the shadow of Moon looms larger, suggesting that the truth may be concealed in a web of prestige, pressure, and secrecy.

In this tension-filled legal thriller, the courtroom drama and the quest for truth push a celebrated attorney to confront his own principles. The film threads together the ambitions of the powerful, the vulnerabilities of the accused, and the fragile nature of justice, leaving audiences to ponder what truly defines a win when the cost is so much more than a single verdict.