I don't understand lila's motivation to tell mike that suki said she saw mike pull the trigger and run. If that is true, doesn't this clear her brother? Maybe I missed something about a past between lila and mike? If anyone could clear this up I would appreciate it.
lila was trying to save her brother quite simple and mike was the best pawn to do that....once she heard suki's account of the killing she knew her brother did it. i'm not sure if lila 'knew' mike would kill suki but i suspect she felt he would do what was needed to keep her brother off the hook and she was fine with it (ie - murder, a beat down, a bribe, etc). there was a conversation between john and mike (in elmhurst after they were kicked out of the salon) that described mike and lila's relationship and foreshadowed lila's future deception. mike told john that lila was a good (this term being relative in the film)girl who was suppose to go far and as such he along with other local thugs were protective of her, but instead of 'being somebody' she turned out to be 'like the rest of [them] ... a nobody.'
lila's brother was never innocent and only served as a story device to get john's character into the insular new york korean community which he was an outsider and served as the audiences view point. hence why there is never any court scenes or scenes with the brother (not even one of meeting his 'new' lawyer)... actually given suki's account there was no need for lila to tell mike suki saw him pull the trigger and run. suki said she came downstairs and saw mike drive off with the shooter and the scene shows mike looking at the hysterical suki with his mask pulled up. for mike the problem wasn't that suki saw him but she was willing to talk to john (which earlier in the movie his role as a lawyer was likened to a 'cop') ... the outsider which would bring unwanted heat to the community.
at Suki's interview, she identified Mike AND Lilas brother, and Lila instantly got put in a tough spot... she had knowledge of Mike's involvement and that John was going to go forward with it somehow... it was no longer a question of just her brother, her Mother and herself were now at risk from Mike and his guys if she didn't warn him.
so Lila immediately started obscuring the interview (omitted the ID of her brother) and called Mike to buy her Mom and her own safety.... and that's it... the whole family was at risk when she translated the interview.... so she gave up her brothers cause.
she's gonna keep quiet about translating the interview? how is she going to explain that to Mike when he and his crew show up at her door?