2010 South Korean film
Midnight FM
(
Korean
:
深夜의 FM
;
RR
:
Shim-yaui FM
) is a 2010 South Korean
action thriller film
by
Kim Sang-man
starring
Soo Ae
and
Yoo Ji-tae
.
[3]
Soo Ae won Best Actress at the
31st Blue Dragon Film Awards
for her performance.
[4]
Plot
[
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]
Ko Sun-young is a popular
television announcer
and midnight
DJ
on a show that mixes film analysis with selected songs from the associated
soundtracks
. Sun-young decides to quit her job after her daughter, Eun-soo, requires heart surgery that is only available in the United States. On her last day of work, Sun-young's sister Ah-young babysits Eun-soo at Sun-young's apartment. While she is on the air, Sun-young receives a call from a man named Han Dong-soo, who claims to be her fan. Inspired by
Travis Bickle
, the unstable vigilante from
Taxi Driver
, Dong-soo has begun to murder pimps and drug dealers throughout the city. When he hears about Sun-young's imminent retirement, he takes her family hostage and demands that she retool her final broadcast to his specifications. However, Sun-young's boss discards the new playlist on the assumption that Sun-young herself submitted it.
When Sun-young does not follow his instructions and instead calls the police, Dong-soo murders the policemen that arrive and cuts off one of Ah-young's toes. With the help of Son Deok-tae, an awkward, obsessed fan, Sun-young attempts to recreate her first broadcasts. When her boss intervenes, Dong-soo murders Ah-young. Furious and in shock, Sun-young explains the situation to her confused co-workers. Dong-soo forces Sun-young to quote her previous commentary on
Taxi Driver
, in which she requests a hero like Bickle to arise, and demands that she call him a hero; she reluctantly does so. Meanwhile, Sun-young tries to sneak out of the studio to rescue her daughter, but Dong-soo has already fled the house. Sun-young chases after him, and Dong-soo leads her to where he has kidnapped a man he claims to be a
human trafficker
. The man denies the charge and begs for his life. Dong-soo orders Sun-young to kill the man, but she refuses. Sun-young says that the man deserves a trial, and she shoots Dong-soo instead.
Cast
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]
Release
[
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]
Midnight FM
was released October 14, 2010, in South Korea. The international premiere was at the
Hawaii International Film Festival
ten days later.
[1]
Reception
[
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]
Darcy Paquet
of
Screen International
called it "a better-than-average Korean thriller that despite its plot holes, manages to maintain the tension all the way through."
[5]
Shelagh Rowan-Legg of
Twitch Film
wrote, "
Midnight FM
can easily be added not only to the radio film canon, but also to the slate of great thrillers being produced in recent years in South Korea."
[6]
James Mudge of Beyond Hollywood wrote, "Certainly, director Kim’s enthusiasm makes up for any lack of originality, and thanks to a fine script, fast pace and the efforts of the headlining stars, it stands as one of the best and most fun Korean thrillers of the last year or so."
[7]
Awards and nominations
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]
References
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]
External links
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]