Night in Paradise (2020 film)

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Night in Paradise
Night in paradise.jpg
Official release poster
Hangul낙원의 밤
Revised RomanizationNagwonui bam
Directed byPark Hoon-jung
Screenplay byPark Hoon-jung
Produced byPark Hoon-jung
Starring
CinematographyKim Young-ho
Edited byJang Rae-won
Music byMowg
Production
companies
  • Goldmoon Entertainment
  • Peppermint & Company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 3, 2020 (2020-09-03) (Venice)
  • April 9, 2021 (2021-04-09) (South Korea)
Running time
131 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Night in Paradise (Korean: 낙원의 밤; RR: Nagwonui bam) is a 2020 South Korean crime drama film written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, starring Uhm Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been and Cha Seung-won. It had its world premiere on September 3, 2020, at the 77th Venice International Film Festival and was released on April 9, 2021 on Netflix.[1][2]

Plot[]

A mobster named Tae-goo is offered a chance to switch sides with his rival Bukseong gang, headed by Chairman Doh. Tae-goo rejects the offer that results in the murder of his sister and niece. In revenge, Tae-goo brutally kills Chairman Doh and his men and flees to Jeju Island until he can move out of the country to Russia where he meets Jae-yeon, a terminally ill woman and her arms dealer uncle, Kuto. Tae-goo's boss, Mr Yang conducts an attack to wipe out the remaining Bukseong Gang's lieutenants to finally end the gang forever but without Tae-goo's leadership and efficiency, the plan failed. One of the top brass of Bukseong gang, Executive Ma, is mercilessly hunting Tae-goo to take revenge. During the meeting, Yang is forced to betray Tae-goo to save his life by choosing to hand him to the Bukseong gang.

Kuto later on is killed during a firefight against his buyers who want to go against the weapon deal and the buyers are killed by the combined force of Tae-goo and Jae-Yeon.[3]

Cast[]

Uhm Tae-goo and Jeon Yeo-been during an interview with Marie Claire Korea

Release[]

The film premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2020, where it was screened in the "Out of Competition" category.[4][5]

In mid-October 2020, it was reported that Next Entertainment World might skip the theatrical release and debut the film on Netflix due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] In mid-February 2021, it was announced that the film would be released on the streaming platform on April 9.[8]

Reception[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter stated that "Night in Paradise contains a lot of good plotting, several amusing characters and a decent array of exciting action scenes and bloodshed. But it is indulgently long, even within scenes, like the needlessly protracted opening explosion that sets the story in motion."[11] In another mixed review, Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily noted that "Addicts of Asian gangster action will relish, but the odd mix of hardcore viscerality and ruminative borderline-sentiment could limit the film's appeal."[12]

James Mottram of the South China Morning Post listed Night in Paradise as one of the 10 best films screened at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, saying that "there was nothing quite as thrilling as [the film]" and that its "extravagant set pieces and shoot-outs [will] sate any genre hound."[13] Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Festival, also gave a positive review: "Night in Paradise is one of the best gangster movies coming from South Korean cinema in recent years. Park Hoon-jung is a director that deserves full attention for his ability to combine the writing of original screenplays with the creation of complex characters that are never stereotypical, together with impressive and masterly directorial skills. His name will certainly be heard even more in the future."[14][15]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2021 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Supporting Actor Cha Seung-won Nominated [16]
30th Buil Film Awards Nominated [17]
Best Actor Uhm Tae-goo Nominated
Best Actress Jeon Yeo-been Nominated
Best Cinematography Kim Young-ho Nominated
Best Music Mowg Nominated

References[]

  1. ^ Kwak, Yeon-soo (April 5, 2021). "'Night in Paradise' offers rare glimpses of tranquility amid bloody gang war". The Korea Times. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Song, Seung-hyun (February 16, 2021). "'Night in Paradise' skips theaters to release on Netflix in April". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "'Night in Paradise' Summary & Ending, Explained - Violent Tale Of Vengeance | DMT". Digital Mafia Talkies. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  4. ^ Sharf, Zack (July 28, 2020). "Venice Film Festival 2020 Full Lineup: Luca Guadagnino, Chloe Zhao, Gia Coppola, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Lee, Jae-lim (July 29, 2020). ""Night in Paradise" invited to Venice Film Festival". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Kim, Boram (October 16, 2020). "Two more Korean movies likely to debut on Netflix amid pandemic". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Song, Seung-hyun (November 1, 2020). "Korean movies choose Netflix over big-screen release". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Yang, Haley (February 16, 2021). "Director Park Hoon-jung's 'Night in Paradise' set for Netflix release on April 9". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Night in Paradise (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  10. ^ "Night in Paradise Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Young, Deborah (September 3, 2020). "'Night in Paradise' ('Nak-Won-Eui-Barm'): Film Review / Venice 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Romney, Jonathan (September 3, 2020). "'Night In Paradise': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Mottram, James (September 14, 2020). "Venice 2020: the 10 best films at the festival, from Chloé Zhao's Golden Lion winner Nomadland to Vanessa Kirby's star turn in Pieces of a Woman". South China Morning Post. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  14. ^ Choi, Ji-won (July 29, 2020). "'Night in Paradise' to premiere at Venice Biennale". The Korea Herald. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  15. ^ "Korean Gangster Flick Invited to Venice Film Festival". HanCinema. July 29, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  16. ^ 춘사영화제, 국제영화제로 도약…'승리호' 포함 넷플릭스 3개 후보 (in Korean). SBS. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  17. ^ Jo Young-mi (August 26, 2021). "모가디슈' ·'자산어보' 13개 부문 중 8개 부문 후보에 올라" [Mogadishu’ and ‘Jasaneobo’ were nominated for 8 out of 13 categories]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved September 3, 2021.

External links[]

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