The drama achieved a record rating of 13.6% in episode 8, and continued to maintain a rating of over 11% in episodes 9 and 10 last weekend.
In "The Judge from Hell", Park Shin Hye plays Justitia - a demon who is the "Goddess of Justice" in hell, who has entered the body of a human judge Kang Bit Na. Her mission is to find murderers and send them to hell, without going through the judgment of the human legal system.
According to Cine21, the demon judge Kang Bit Na's punishment of the wicked who disobey the legal system has been controversial, as there are too many violent scenes in the first two episodes. However, the film resolves this by adopting a divine, fantasy worldview.
The idea that demons will die if they fall in love with humans or start becoming human also creates an exciting "taboo" romance. In this case, Kang Bit Na gradually develops feelings for police officer Han Da On (played by Kim Jae Young).
The above factors have helped "Judge from Hell" become popular.
First of all, there are many movies about justice and revenge that have attracted attention such as "Death Ballot" about criminals who escape the law will be voted to be tried; "Taxi Driver" about establishing a taxi company with revenge service for the weak; or in "The Glory" a female student who suffered from school violence sought revenge on those who harmed her when she grew up...
What these films have in common with "Judge from Hell" is that they satisfy viewers by punishing evil when the laws of reality cannot solve it.
In the film, Judge Kang Bit Na shouts “Justice is dead” in front of the Justitia statue in the courthouse. She knows very well that if she decides according to the current law, the criminals will soon be released. Instead, she uses the devil’s name to organize a real punishment for the murderers.
Cine21 believes that in this film, the question of whether "punishment beyond the law is consistent with justice" does not arise. Because Justitia in the form of Kang Bit Na is the "Goddess of Justice".
Kang Bit Na's method of punishment is very interesting. She gives the criminals the lightest sentence possible, so that they feel victorious. Then, Kang Bit Na truly punishes them as a devil, making them experience everything the victim has ever endured, which can be called "mirror therapy".
This action was opposed by the law-abiding police officer Han Da On. But the victims and their families said that it was not an extreme thing to let the bad guy die to end things. Because if the bad guy was released after serving his sentence, the victims would continue to live in fear, fearing revenge.
The scene where Kang Bit Na, with her overwhelming strength and crazy eyes, gives “mirror therapy” to a villain is the highlight of the film. At the same time, it satirizes the limitations of the law in the real world.
According to Cine21, the first half of the film is like a one-man show by Park Shin Hye. The actress has a pretty impressive transformation with interesting acting. Previously, Park Shin Hye mainly played righteous roles, but with the role of the evil judge, the star born in 1990 seems to have found the character of her life.
“Putting aside all the legal and divine contexts, you can feel a sense of satisfaction just by looking at Kang Bit Na, and her facial expressions will make you feel excited. The phrase “lucid madman” should be used in this situation,” Cine21 commented.
