![]() Man-sik, who is goofy and a little bit irresponsible, likes to see himself as a ladies’ man. One of Kyung-soo’s fellow trainees named Man-sik (played by Park Myung-hoon) is hired y the royal family at the same time as Kyung-soo. Kyung-soo is shown writing secret letters to Kyung-Jae, because Kyung-soo doesn’t want people to know that he’s not completely blind. The movie never really explains who’s taking care of Kyung-Jae while his older brother Kyung-soo is away. Under these dire circumstances, the timing couldn’t be better for Kyung-soo when he find out that his reputation for being an expert acupuncturist has resulted in the royal family’s chief medical staffer Lee Hyung-ik (played by Choi Moo-sung) recruiting Kyung-soo to live and work at the palace. ![]() An early scene shows Kyung-soo nearly being evicted because he hasn’t been paying his rent. ![]() There is no mention of what happened to the brothers’ parents, but they are presumably dead, since Kyung-soo is Kyung-Jae’s only guardian and caregiver. Kyung-soo, who is a bachelor with no children, has a very personal reason for wanting to get high-salary job: His 10-year-old bother Kyung-Jae (played by Kim Do-wan) has an unnamed medical condition that requires herbal medicine that Kyung-soo has been struggling to afford. Kyung-soo leads most people t believe that he is completely blind at all times. He doesn’t tell most people that he can somewhat see at night. During the day, he cannot see, but at night, he has very limited vision. The salary is high enough that one of the men remarks, “We can be rich if we become royal physicians.” Kyung-soo has become an expert in acupuncture, and his services will soon be sought-after by the royal family. The movie then cuts to a scene of Kyung-soo with two other men in acupuncture training because they hope to be hired as physicians for the royal family. “The Night Owl” returns to this scene near the end of the movie, and viewers will know by then why these two are running away from the palace. Viewers later find out that the boy is the king’s 10-year-old grandson Yi Seok-cheol (played by Lee Joo-won), who also looks very frightened because his father has died under mysterious circumstances. The acupuncturist-a mild-mannered man in his 30s named Chun Kyung-soo (played by Ryu Jun-yeol), also known as Chun Geyong-su-is frantically running out of the royal palace while carrying a boy on his back. ![]() The opening scene of “The Night Owl” takes place around 6 a.m. “The Night Owl” takes a well-known Korean legend about the mysterious death of a real prince and shows it from the perspective of a fictional and partially blind acupuncturist who was hired by the royal family and who witnessed the death. Even though the movie is fictional, it features some portrayals of real-life historical figures and events. Ahn co-wrote the fictional screenplay with Soo-in Bang and Gyu-Ri Hyun. However, most of “The Night Owl” is a well-acted thriller, partially inspired by real Korean history of the 1640s.ĭirected by Ahn Tae-jin, “The Night Owl” takes place in Korean kingdom of Joseon, in 1645 and briefly in 1649, during the Joseon Dynasty. And the movie’s ending is a bit too contrived. It’s a somewhat slow build to the most suspenseful parts of this political crime drama. “The Night Owl” has a title that is meant to describe movie’s wise protoganist, who is nocturnal by nature and sees things at night that he won’t necessarily reveal right away. An acupuncture scene from “The Night Owl” (Photo courtesy of 815 Films) Ahn Tae-jin, Choi Moo-sung, drama, Jo Yoon-seo, Kim Do-wan, Kim Sung-cheol, Kim Ye-eun, Korea, Lee Joo-won, movies, Park Myung-hoon, reviews, Ryu Jun-yeol, The Night Owl, Yoo Hae-jinīy Carla Hay Yoo Hae-jin and Ryu Jun-yeol in “The Night Owl” (Photo courtesy of 815 Films)Ĭulture Representation: Taking place in the Korean kingdom of Joseon, in 1645 and briefly in 1649, the dramatic film “The Night Owl” features an all-Korean cast of characters representing the working-class and middle-class.Ĭulture Clash: A partially blind acupuncturist, who goes to work for the empire’s royal family, witnesses the murder of the prince who was the empire’s direct heir, and the acupuncturist finds himself in a battle with the king, who wants to abide by the official cause of death as malaria.Ĭulture Audience: “The Night Owl” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching “slow burn” movies that combine murder mysteries with political intrigue that’s partially based on real-life historical figures.
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