Midnight (2021)

There are some things I appreciate about this movie, but...

There are some things I appreciate about this movie because they were good. So I'll start with them. First of all, the actors did a really great job. But I did not expect anything else, because I know the possibilities of each of them. I really liked the transitions between scenes with and without sound. The scenes without sound showed the perspective of the deaf mother and daughter better, and I think it was a well-thought-out move. The last good thing is that the ending was satisfying enough.

Now let's get to the things I don't like about this movie. It was boring until the end when Kyung Mi confused the killer. It was basically a cat-and-mouse chase throughout the movie. With people around who couldn't recognize the situation.

Despite some good things, I'll probably soon forget about this movie. Obviously, a good general idea combined with not knowing how to develop it always results in a boring production.

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So much potential

DAMN!! This had so much potential but alas it did not live up to it.

The premise is excellent, the cast is great and the setting perfect, so why was this movie so meh??

The first 40 minutes of the movie were hands down some of the best tension setting I have ever watched but it all went downhill after that. The movie is meh b/c of the stupid actions by the police, the victim, the brother of one of the victims and random people on the street.

The best thing about this movie was the actors. Wi Ha Joon is excellent as the serial killer. I had only seen him in Squid Game and I liked him there but he played the psychotic murderer very well. I only wish we knew what his motivations were. I guess we get a glimpse of it when the old drunk at the police station questions his upbringing but I needed a little more information. The lead actress, Jin Ki Joo and the actress playing her mother were really good too. I haven't seen the FL in anything else either but I look forward too seeing something else.

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Tried to imitate HUSH and SHINING but totally failed

It was one of the anticipated movie in my watch list but it's just such a mess.
It just left me questioning the whole situation.
1. Why are deaf people walking at 10 pm alone in the streets ? Isn't it dangerous?
2. The mother could have just made a noise or hinted out the things in his bag and it would have been done and dusted but no
she cannot even do that in a POLICE STATION.
3. There are literally no police officers in police station so anybody can fight over there. Even when mother and her deaf daughter inform them then they are not even reacting to that?? What king of police officers are they?
4. Do you want to be alone at home when you know that murderer is trying to kill you? She could have gone with her mother.
And the most stupid thing at that dangerous situation is to forget to lock the door. Seriously?
5. She can't really sense a person behind her really, you want us to buy that?
6. The brother character could have easily made a phone call to police while searching for his sister but no just leaves the deaf girl.
7. Most stupid thing is SHE IS SCARED AND BLEEDING. No matter what at least even one person would be suspicious of her condition and try to help her. Though this movie wanted to potray the way we treat handicapped people but this is far too fetched. Even army people just present her to him.
8. Lastly, when deaf girl was saying she wants to live more in sign language. Do you think serial killer will whole heartly understand that? As a viewer if there were not subtitles then couldn't have understood anything so how can he.

One positive I found is Wi Ha-joon's ( serial killer) acting other than nothing is good. Just wasted my time.

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I had so much expectations..

I read about the concept of the movie and was immediatelly very hyped. I enjoy most of the movies containing a stalker / psycho. But this one seems like an exception..

I still got to say that the soundtrack was very great during intense scenes ; the idea of the two FL being deaf / mute was very great in the context, which made it more thrilling. The plot was simple in my opnion and I expected a more twisted ending.. I have to be frank about the fact that it was weird for me to see the actor playing ML as a psycho when I watched him playing in more cheerful roles as in "Bad and Crazy" which, in my opinion, suits him better. (But that's subjective). Overall, this movie had a lot of potential, I saw it was very well rated, but I guess it's better to watch a movie without having much expectations before.

A great movie in the concept and a great soundtrack but it's a flop for me.

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the characters in this were really well developed, Kyung Mi was a normal fragile girl next door but that didn't mean she was not capable.
she was smart, she was scared and she was so sweet hearted honestly she was too precious!
Kyung Mi's mom was also smart, honestly most movies make the female characters too naive or dumb and easily fooled but both mother and daughter used their brains and they communicated.
there were small details in their relationship that made them so endearing and believable, like the mom pulling Kyung Mi behind her as if that tiny fragile older lady can "shield" her taller youthful daughter, but it was such a mom thing to do

Do Shik as a psychopath was so captivating, psychopath's lie and he did it so well, like the way he switched characters to fit the scenarios and make the public believe him and even get away with the murder he reported, that was a great move
it also made his downfall even more satisfying.

Jong Tak and his sister felt underdeveloped, tbh even that full long running sequence mixed with him getting fooled and leaving Kyung Mi the 1st time made me reduce my points because that was obviously a ploy for the length of the movie
it's not bad, like the movie happens in "one night", if not even around 4 hours. Kyung Mi and her mom met, the psychopath came in, they went to the station, he followed them home at around 12am


the saddest part was those army kids.. if you see a scared girl, you don't return her to the guy that's following her, even if he played it well and pretended to be her worried brother. heck I've helped lost kids at the mall find their parents and I still wait and check if that's their parents even if just by action, I'm not anticipating a kidnapping but when someone cries and can't talk, you need to observe the situation

I also loved those danger poles, I hope those are real, I've never seen a movie brave enough to add that especially since it can "solve" the chase. though in this case it added depth to the struggles of people with hearing impairment.
though I didn't like how people almost treated her like she's dumb or like a kid. she just couldn't hear or talk, there was no problems with her coherent thoughts
though it also does add the depth of how people treat "different" people

as for the "music" I really loved the times they showed how the world "looked" like from her silent pov, that was a great touch and overall I think the director used the deaf part to enhance the story, and not made it an excuse for the hero to fall. I also liked how they had their phones with them

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I liked the movie a lot and now I will explain why.

I see many people frustrated because people around didn't help the girl. Well there are several points to be clarified: First of all, in South-Korea most people don't help those in trouble on the street, because they often get blamed. There have been many cases of people who stopped to help those in distress and found themselves being charged because they were believed to be the culprits. And yes, people definitely saw the scared girl or the man covered in blood, however I repeat that so many people try to mind their own business so they don't get into trouble. It's frustrating I know and that's exactly why I think this film was a complaint to how people behave in these cases.
Second of all, it exists the bystander effect, also referred to as bystander apathy or the witness effect: this is a phenomenon in social psychology that refers to cases where individuals offer no help to a person in distress, in an emergency situation, when other people are also present. The probability of intervention is inversely related to the number of onlookers. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the lower the probability that any of them will render help. Several variables are involved in determining the bystander effect. They include ambiguity, social cohesion and diffusion of responsibility. This does not make us bad people; simply when certain incidents occur, we are inclined to see what others do before we intervene.
Then the fact that she couldn't speak is actually a point against her. Try to think about who the killers are: they are deeply disturbed, narcissistic and manipulative people. The fact that she was deaf and unable to speak properly made it all the more amusing for him: She was trying to communicate, but no one understood her; he was elated, especially because then he could be an actor like he has never been before. That's why I find the film very realistic and especially provocative. I still break a lance in favor of those who criticize the film, because indeed the policemen were not that smart.
As for "the cat-to-mouse chase", I didn't find it wrong. The girl several times was caught by the killer, however, one thing that stood out from the beginning was that she was smart. Plus unlike the victims, she knew about him and in fact he never managed to sneak up on her except once. I don't know what to add except that probably in her situation I would not have known what to do and would have been killed instantly. Plus many choices she made were to try to protect her mother.
As for the character who was the brother of one of the victims, I basically understand and forgive him... Would you sacrifice your sister to protect a stranger or would you sacrifice a stranger to save your sister? It ain't so easy for anyone. Clearly the killer was lying, but when you are desperate and you love someone so much, what chance do you actually have? And even if he caught him, he already knew that he would never reveal to him where his sister was.
The music was undoubtedly flawless. I madly loved the "silent moments" and when suddenly something would pop out, because for a few seconds it was like I was living in the girl's shoes.
In conclusion, i must have a sort of trauma, 'cause pussy was clenching through out the whole movie, no lie.
They should stop casting hot actors as psychopaths. I can't handle it, but at the same time i don't mind *COUGH*

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Best Korean thriller, period.

Nerve racking, not even a second wasted. This movie is the best Korean thriller. The acting from FL and ML is top notch. They get into the skin of their characters. You feel for the FL, root for her, and go to this roller coaster ride. What happens next? That’s the question in your head for the entire movies runtime. There is a good emotional connect between FL and her mom too. This is a masterpiece. Nowadays in the name of thrillers I see lot of Korean movies selling sex and some half assed story. Midnight is however no Nonsense thriller. This deserves a whole hearted 10/10. MDL viewers decided to park this in 8-9 category I guess.

Some ranting
There are lot of Korean thrillers that people are crazy about. When going through YouTube comments section, I found people going crazy over Old Boy, handmaiden claiming them to be epic thrillers. My opinion, Old boy and Handmaiden are bull shit in the context of thriller genre. Midnight however is a masterpiece in the thriller genre.

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Best Fricking Thriller K Movie!

I've only seen a few clips, so I didn't know if the movie would meet my expectations. However, it very much went beyond it! Everything was pieced together so well, and I truly enjoyed it. I could and would definitely rewatch this. Each scene was so captivating, and the ending was pleasant and pleasurable. The characters are interesting in a good way! I can't express how much I LOVE this movie, especially since thriller is my all-time favorite genre. I was always looking for this type of thriller with this insane serial killer with interesting characters, and I've finally found it. I've got to give credit to the cast, director, writers, and producer. You can tell everyone's efforts and hard work made into this film. This is just a 10/10 masterpiece.

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Frightening chase, Wi Ha Joon amazing performance shook me

I truly enjoyed this action movie. It has a really simple but efficient concept, focusing on a frightening cat-and-mouse chase between a serial-killer and a deaf woman. With very few characters and plot points, the film manages to keep the viewer on its toes during the dark pursuit.

The scenario relies a lot on people making not so smart decisions as well as a lot of police incompetence which might make your blood boils...There are a lot of successful jump scares and action sequences are really well-done. As one of the character is deaf, the surrounding noises and sounds carry a particular importance on the story. It amps the viewer's anxiety as the filmmaking manage to make the watcher understand how it is to be in the shoes of the victim.

The casting was really good, especially Wi Ha Joon who delivers a shockingly horrifying performance. I only saw him in two other roles playing overall good characters so the shift here truly astonished me. Jin Ki Joo acting as his main counterpart was also very solid in her role.

I would recommend this to people looking for a thriller that will brought you all the feels in a very short time. It is very dark and efficient in providing thrills with some good jump scares and action sequences. It might require some suspension of disbelief given the reaction of some characters that might seem completely stupid. But, honestly that did not bother me because I found the story gripping enough to not care about the script flaws. I just went on a scary ride and enjoyed it for what it was.

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