South Korea has proven in the last few years that they are deserving of a title for having riveting, profound, and exceptional movies and TV series. Especially in the genre of crime thrillers and horror, with highly talked about movies likeTrain to Busan,Parasite,A Tale of Two Sisters,The Wailing,and the 2024 horrorExhuma. Some movies have been around for years and are now gaining global attention, while others are newcomers that quickly make an impression right out of the gate. Among them is a standout horror film from 2021 that was so well-received it got a perfectRotten Tomatoesscore.
Midnight, directed byKwon Oh-seung, is a psychological thriller starringSquid Game’sWi Ha-joonandJin Ki-jooin acat-and-mouse chase of thrill and murder as a young deaf woman becomes the target of a heinous serial killerafter witnessing his crimes. This is one movie that makes audiences grab their blankets and scream at the TV, trying to warn the female lead that the killer is closer than she’s aware of.
What Is ‘Midnight’ About?
The South Korean thrillerfollows Kim Kyung-mi (Jin), a young woman who works as a sign language call center agent and also lives with her mother who is also deaf. Her life changes when one night, while waiting for her mother outside, she crosses paths with a deranged serial killer named Do-shik (Wi), witnessing him attacking another woman and leaving her for dead. When realizing Kyung-mi is deaf, Do-shik tries to manipulate the situation to his advantage, but Kyung-mi soon realizes the truth and becomes his next target.
Through the bustling streets of Seoul and her own home, Kyung-mi must find a way to survive and protect her mother. All the while, she tries to warn her security guard friend, who begins tracking down Do-shik in parallel.Midnighttakes audiences on a thrill ride of tension and fear as Do-shik uses his charm and speech to fool others into thinking he’s harmless, while Kyung-mi struggles to communicate the danger due to her disability. Thanks to the movie’s impactful narrative and high praise for its leading actors,Midnightreceiveda perfect 100% score from Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Midnight’ Uses Social Commentary to Create Thrill and Suspense
From the start ofMidnight, audiences are already catching on to Do-shik’s twisted use of mind games that tell a larger story.He’s mastered the concept of the innocent and unassuming young manwho easily disarms his victim’s defense, but that also fools the police into thinking he’s simply a bystander. This soon becomes one of the movie’s most chilling elements, not just the physical threat Do-shik poses, but howhis manipulative charm thrives in a society that often takes confident speech and appearance at face value.
After realizing what Kyung-mi and her mother might have witnessed,he flips the script of the killerto a clean and pristine young man wearing a suit. He even goes so far as to visit the police station with them, but one minute, he’s charming, and the next, his piercing gaze and malice peek through. But who wouldn’t believe the handsome, well-dressed man? Audiences feel the tension and angst as Kyung-mi tries to warn everyone of the danger, buther communication limitations become a barrier not just for safety, but to credibility, which occurs more than once.Kyung-mi’s silence doesn’t make her weaker; it amplifies the vulnerability of being unheard — literally and figuratively.
Tensions rise inMidnightwhen the cat-and-mouse chase truly begins, and Do-shik infiltrates her home. This is where the movie truly shines, utilizing confined spaces, silence, and visual storytelling to create palpable horror. Kyung-mi and her mother’s home becomes claustrophobic, where every floor creak and flicker of light carries weight. The audience is forced toperceive the scene through their eyes, watching shadows under the doors, panicked glances in silence, and the terror of not making noises they can’t hear. Silence becomes weaponized for both Do-shik and Kyung-mi, but the killer has the upper hand.
Wi Ha-joon and Jin Ki-joo Elevate the Stakes in ‘Midnight’
Both Wi and Jin are no strangers to emotionally charged roles, butMidnightpushes the reins in entirely new ways.Wi transforms himself into a disturbingly calm and manipulative predator, shifting from a smile that would have anyone swoon to a chilling, emotionless gaze that freezes the screen. Throughout the movie, he’s able to flip the switch impeccably depending on the scenario, where even amid thecrowded and bustling streets of Seoul, chasing down Kyung-mi, he doesn’t appear as a threat. Wi portrays him as an understated menace who believes he’s in control, and it makes him all the more terrifying.
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Carrie-Anne Moss also stars opposite Jackson and Sheen.
Jin delivers a performance rooted in resilience and empathy in a race between killer and victim. With little dialogue and no use of spoken language,she relies on expressive body language, facial tension, and internalized emotion to convey fear, strength, and strategic thinking. Her use of body language and expression helps navigate Kyung-mi’s reality of living in a world that often overlooks her. Jin portrays how her character’s deafness, often seen by others as a limitation by others, becomes a unique strength by tapping into heightened awareness and quick thinking that others might not have. Wi and Jin’s acting amplifiesthe movie’s fear factor through the predator hunting its prey.
Midnightgot a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score for a reason. It’s a thrill ride of tension that causes audiences to want to scream in frustration, trying to warn Kyung-mi of the danger lurking behind her. The audience wants to throw their hands up in disbelief at society’s inability to see the truth and believe Kyung-mi. All the while, their hearts are racing, watching Do-shik move through the night with terrifying ease.Every moment feels like a ticking clock where Kyung-mi is either one step ahead or danger is right behind her.Midnightdoesn’t just have audiences watch a thriller, but forces them to take part; powerless to intervene yet invested in Kyung-mi’s fight for survival.
