Innocently Guilty


Reviewed by: sukting

September 16, 2009

Rating: two

Foreword
It is about law in Hong Kong but part of the story was shot in Singapore. It was a collaboration between TVB and TCS. Yuen Wing Yee and many ex-TVB colleagues lent their presence here. Did it become a blockbuster or a flop?

Story

Tin Yan grows up in an orphanage. She is strong and smart to study law in London. She returns to Hong Kong and accepts a case of a hooker killing her client. Her name is Kum Yin. Her client is a rich man’s son and Kum Yin’s close hookers combine their fortune to hire Tin Yan.

Most lawyers do not dare to take up the case as they do not want to offend the rich man. Moreover, the public prosecutor is someone whom the law bureau unit does not wish to cross their swords with. This is Tin Yan’s first case and she takes it bravely. Not because of money but because of justice. She is very persistent to come up with new evidence so the police has to re-look the case.

They discover that Kum Yin is the victim indeed as her client is a sex manic and she kills him out of self defence. She is later released as a free person. Tin Yan learns that Kum Yin has been to Singapore in the past and she gets Yau Yau to check it out. Kum Yin keeps sending money to a 80 plus year old woman, Sam Mui. Tin Yan learns that Kum Yin becomes a prostitute against her will.

KumYin has an irresponsible and bad-tempered son who is doing renovation. Kum Yin learns that Tin Yan is her daughter but keeps it from her, fearing that her existence will affect her future. Tin Yan’s mentor, Yau Dai helps her out and with Yau Yau, the trials go smoothly and her reputation spreads far.

The law bureau unit’s top prosecutor, Mou Leung is attracted by Tin Yan’s working attitude and capability. He decides to woo her but she has a doctor boyfriend, Chi Siu. Chi Siu is kind and also dotes on Tin Yan. Both return to Hong Kong together from England to pursue their careers. Thus Tin Yan rejects Mu Leung. However, Tin Yan spends too much time on her work and this gives Chi Siu the wrong idea that she loves someone else. Their relationship faces a big test.

Chi Siu regrets wronging her and both patch up, planning to get married. Chi Siu is a Singaporean and both take leave to meet his parents. However, his parents come from a traditional family. His grandfather looks down on her being an orphan and sneers at her. Tin Yan nearly quarrels with him. Tin Yan meets Sam Mui and learns that she is Kum Yin’s mother-in-law who is also a former prostitute. She has known a rich man but this man only toys with her feelings and abandons her.

Kum Yin is formerly a singer in Taiwan. Su Mun also works in the same law firm with Tin Yan. But he is a playboy and only knows how to fiddle with the rich. Tin Yan never gets along well with him and they often meet in court. There is a case of the police raiding the prostitute activities. Kum Yin meets a corrupted policeman. He gets to know her link with Tin Yan and keeps extorting her. KumYin has no choice but to kill him. The orphanage sister hopes that Tin Yan will take up the case. But Kum Yin chooses to commit suicide in prison without telling her anything.

Her attempt fails and the sister reveals to Tin Yan that Kum Yin is her mother and has sponsored for her studies all along. Tin Yan has mixed feelings after knowing it. She feels apologetic over her sacrifices and acknowledges her immediately. Kum Yin is from Tai Nan Hua Lian. She follows her troupe to singpaore for performances asa singer to befriend a rich man. This man suddenly disappears after proposing to her.

Thus she gets so badly affected that she also sells her body besides her voice. She returns to Taiwan to build a house for her elder brother. Her family learns of her past and looks down on her. She comes to Hong Kong to return to her former trade. Her rich man boyfriend suddenly reappears to cohabit with her. She is then pregnant but realizes that he is a cheat. As he offends a underworld boss and his life is in danger, he escapes to Singapore. Thus Kum Yin is being abandoned again to give birth to Tin Yan.

Kum Yin runs into financial difficulties and has to leave Tin Yan at the orphanage. The greedy Shu Mun is attracted by the law bureau unit’s prosecutor, Ching Tuck. He uses despicable methods to woo her and later dumps her. Ching Tuck becomes a sex symbol and this attracts him back. He even gives up his marriage because of her and cohabits with her.

Tin Yan finds it tough to fight the case for Kum Yin and doesn’t want her to suffer. Thus she bribes the hooker who witnesses the murder to change her statement. Mou Leung is the prosecutor and hates Tin Yan for rejecting his love. Thus he never lets her off on court. The hooker is the defendant’s witness but as the prosecutor has her criminal evidence, she doesn’t help Tin Yan but admits her bribery attempt instead.

So when it comes to the summation statement time, Tin Yan knows that she will lose for sure and is aware that she will get sued. She can only ask the judge and the jury panel to pardon Kum yin. She admits that she is her mother and reveals what KumYin has done for her. The jury announces that Kum yin is guilty of mistaken murder but pities her life and her poor health. The judge then puts her in prison for 3 years and will be under surveillance for 5 years. She is released from the court immediately.

Tin Yan loses her lawyer license. The corrupted policeman’s colleague, Mou Wong is still sore over what happens and often makes life difficult for them. Chi Siu’s family looks down on Tin Yan even further. They forbid him to be with her and also cancel their wedding. Yau Dai helps Tin Yan to become a company’s law consultant. Yau Yau always admires her and hopes to follow her. Her ex-colleague, Marco also supports her. Tin Yan regains her confidence and visits Sam Mui with Yau Yau.

The law bureau and ICAC join forces to check on a large smuggling case. A person is caught in Singapore. Tin Yan helps the person to become the law bureau’s witness but he is killed. Luckily Tin Yan’s father comes to rescue her and is dead with the killer. Sam Mui dies of old age. Tin Yan has a quarrel with Mou Wong and kills him by mistake. She is then charged in court.

Chi Siu misses Tin Yan all along and is anxious upon knowing what happens to her. He also discovers that his grandfather is the rich man who ditches Sam Mui. He decides to oppose his family’s traditional values and falls out with his grandfather. He wants to return to Tin Yan. Kum Yin’s ex-boyfriend who causes her to be disfigured also returns to Hong Kong from Singapore. He wants to reconcile with Kum Yin and decides to help her upon knowing that Tin Yan is implicated into the case.

All evidence is against Tin Yan so all are giving up hope. Mou Leung is the prosecutor and he suddenly reveals in court in his final statement that the real killer isn’t Tin Yan but another person. Ching Tuck knows that Shu Mun is involved in the smuggling so she goes to testify against him. The whole ring is disbanded. As Mou Leung has revealed the case, Tin Yan is declared not guilty and released. She is reunited with Kum Yin and she dies a few years later due to her illness.

Introduction on characters

1. Lam Tin Yan – Yuen Wing Yee
She grows up in a n orphanage. She has no money to buy expensive clothes when young so she is tomboyish. But as she grows up, she wants to make up her lost life. she likes to be pretty and uses a lot of cosmetics. She will buy branded goods when there are sales. She has an alert mind and strong persistence. She believes in upholding justice and never changes throughout the years.

2. Lam Kum Yin – Tien Niu
She is Tin Yan’s mother who is betrayed by her lover twice. She is an introvert who has very low self-esteem. She doesn’t bear to spend money on herself but more on others. However, she is very soft-hearted to get cheated repeatedly. She has a big scar on her face and she often places tons of powder on her face before meeting others.

3. Lo Yau Dai – Cheng Chat See
He is a law assistant who once commands respect in the law circle. He is very experienced and has a good memory. He is Tin Yan’s mentor and gives her a lot of advice. He often gets drunk as his wife leaves him. But he manages to get his wife and daughter to return to him as they find him a changed man.

4. Dai Mou Leung – Wong Yat Wah
He is the top prosecutor and is very arrogant. He wants to climb all the way to the top to become a top lawyer. He is very wary of appearances but will not listen to advice easily. He looks down on people who have committed crimes before. All call him the iron faced king from hell. He likes Tin Yan and woos her. Soon, he discovers that both are not compatible.

When he is being rejected, he bears a grudge. Whenever both are in court, he keeps finding fault with her. When it comes to fairness, he still upholds justice and helps her out.

5. Ng Yiu Wai – Lee Chan Sum
He is a lawyer but doesn’t look like one. His English is good and doesn’t dress well at work. He only dresses well after work to get respect from others. He doesn’t have a mind of his own to often give in easily. He wins Yau Yau’s heart after a long courtship. He knows that he is dying of an illness so he breaks up with her. Yau Dai sends Yau Yau emails on his behalf so that she will not be too upset over it.

6. Ho Ching Tuck – Yam Bo Lam
She is a conservative public prosecutor. She is born into a rich family and often makes mistakes at work. She graduates from an English school and thus doesn’t know many Chinese phrases – especially on whore terms. After getting deceived by Shu Mun, she becomes a sex bomb to keep seducing different men.

She loves to use all the sexy phrases and keeps having one night stand with different men. Her love with Shu Mun is rekindled but she also upholds justice to sell him out.

7. Marco – Hoi Chun Kit
He works with Tin Yan in the same law firm. He is very serious at work but he gets too nervous easily. He doubts the law till he has a nervous breakdown. After his recovery, he becomes a singer but the sales are poor. Thus he has to become a lawyer again reluctantly. He keeps helping Tin Yan and is her loyal friend.

8. Sam Mui – Lee Heung Kum
She has a sad past and pities Kum Yin. Even though she is no longer her daughter-in-law after her divorce, she still takes care of her.

9. Jacky Yan – Lau Wing
He is a very fair judge and treats Tin Yan well. But he often gets anxious easily and all worry that he will ruin himself one day.

10. King Ma – Leung Kar Yan
He is also a judge but he dislikes Tin Yan to make life tough for her. He gets involved with a prostitute and ill treats her to get sued. He gets Tin Yan to be his defence lawyer. But Tin Yan seeks out the truth to land him in jail instead. He loses his license due to her.

11. Wan Yau Yau – Lin Xiang Ping
She is Tin Yan’s assistant and is very motivated to be like her. She is beside her although she loses her license. She is very tough and has a black belt in judo. She often listens to Tin Yan and is very reckless to get angry easily. She often finds fault with Yiu Wai but later becomes a couple with him.

12. Yau Chi Siu – Chen Zi Cai
He is a doctor and is Tin Yan’s classmate and boyfriend. He comes from a rich family but he has a gentle personally. He gets along well with others easily and is devoted to love. He will accompany Tin Yan wherever she goes. He is very attentive and often gives her surprises. Although he seems open, he is actually traditional and doesn’t dare to go against his family. But he changes because of her and becomes a doctor without borders to be with her.

13. Shu Mun – Cao Guo Hui
He is a corrupted lawyer who only fights cases for money. He has to do it because of his spendthrift wife. He wants to be part of the upper class so he woos Ching Tuck. After achieving his motive, he ditches her. He is very unreliable so no one trusts him.

14. Mou Wong – Mak Tuck Lo
He is as corrupted as his colleague. He is equally reckless and often sneers at Tin Yan or Kum yin. Thus Tin Yan is suspected of killing him when he is sent to hospital dead.

15. Bik Ho Ping – Chen Shu Cheng
He is Tin Yan’s biological father and wins fame in the gambling circle. But someone sees through his gambling tricks so he has to go on the run. He meets Tin Yan in Singapore and doesn’t get her forgiveness till he sacrifices his own life and saves her life.

Favourite character/Most hated character

None – either too noble to be true or too evil on the surface.

Conclusion

It was very similar to LA Law. It can be quite yuppie at times and has a whole load of tragedy. I find it too similar to Lau Tak Wah’s ‘The Unwritten Law – versions 1, 2, 3 ’. The only difference is the children’s gender. Can this be too coincidental? It seems that ATV doesn’t even seem to care to package the old wine in a new cover. The story is almost the same. That is why I don’t feel like continuing after 5 episodes.

No doubt ATV gets a A list of actors. Acting wise, I still feel that all are lacking depth. It seems that none of them are interested in the story. The story is too much of a soap opera that few can stomach it. How can the female leads be so ill-fated? Only watch if you have nothing to watch as there is little to offer.

Sukting’s ratings :

On acting : **1/2 (Scale of 5)

On story : ** (Scale of 5)


Add your own review and become a featured critic on spcnet.tv!


Buy Now

A Hero Born (Legend of the Condor Heroes)Jin Yong English Translation Book 1

A Bond Undone (Legend of the Condor Heroes)Jin Yong English Translation Book 2


Buy Locca Boba Tea Kit

Love bubble tea?DIY Boba Tea Set