Overview of Midnight Runners
The 2017 movie ‘Midnight Runners’ written and directed by Jason Kim tells the story of two police cadets hunting down the crew who misuse unfertilised human eggs.
The movie is produced by Kim Jae-joong and distributed by Lotte Entertainment. Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul play the roles of the young police officers Park Ki-joon and Kang Hee-yeol respectively. Additionally, the film is a combination of crime, action and comedy and was also critically acclaimed nationally and internationally.
Profile
- Name: ‘Midnight Runners’
- Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
- Starring: Park Seo-joon, Kang Ha-neul
- Directed by: Jason Kim (Kim Ju-hwan)
- Screenplay by: Jason Kim
- Distributed by: Lotte Entertainment
- Produced by: Kim Jae-joong
- Production Company: Movie Rock
- Edited by: Kim Chang-ju
- Release date: 9 August 2017
- Running time: 109 minutes
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
Cast
- Park Seo-joon as Park Ki-joon
- Kang Ha-neul as Kang Hee-yeol
- Park Ha-sun as Lee Joo-hee / Medusa
- Sung Dong-il as Professor Yang Sung-il
- Go Jun as Yang-choon
- Bae Yoo-ram as Jae-ho
- Lee Ho-jung as Lee Yoon-jung
- Lee Kyu-sung as Police academy student
- Lee Jun-hyuk as Professor Ha
- Seo Jung-yeon as Ki-joon’s mother
- Choi Hong-il as Hee-yeol’s father
- Lee Eun-saem as Eun-sam
- Byeon Woo-seok as Club entertainer
- Jung Ye-ji as Dan-yeong, Police force student
- Ryu Kyung-soo as Police academy conscripted policeman
- Lee Se-hee as Club woman Se-hee
Synopsis
Young women are going missing in the Gangnam district of Seoul.
Park Ki-joon and Kang Hee-yeol are students at the Korean National Police University. While on a night out drinking, they see a girl getting abducted. When they find out that this case will be ignored by the police due to another abduction of a wealthy business tycoon’s grandson, they both team up to rescue the girl.
Through the primary investigation, they get the personal details of the kidnapped girl. Ki-joon and Hee-yeol head towards Yun-jung’s house, and they find out that she has been sold by her housemate. The duo proceeds with their investigation with the contact details that they got from the housemate of Yun-Jung. The address takes them to Daerim-dong.
In Daerim-dong, they learn about the functioning of an unfertilised egg-supplying network. Yun-jung, the girl that they witnessed kidnapping, is only one of the many girls that they kidnapped for collecting eggs.
Detecting the uninvited guests, the thugs in the gang offend Ki-joon and Hee-yeol by beating and locking them up, from causing damage to their businesses. Ki-joon and Hee-yeol are not able to save the girls, and when they escape from their captivity, all they can find is a barren hideout.
The duo returns to the academy and reports about the kidnappers in the city hanging out for new prey. However, they get a not-so-encouraging response from their superior, and he reminds them about the expulsion procedure for violating rules. Considering their safety, their chief tells them not to get involved in dangerous activities.
However, the duo could not help going after the investigation. They learn about the involvement of a fertility clinic. This time, they prepare everything in advance to make the mission a success and to ensure their safety. To acquire the weapons from the academy, they undergo extreme physical training.
At the clinic, the gang is making arrangements to take eggs from the girls. The girls were lying on beds injected with drugs and medicines. The doctor scans their abdomen to check the condition of the eggs inside them.
Ki-joon and Hee-yeol arrive at the clinic right on time before the doctor begins his clinical procedures to remove the eggs from the girls. Although the mates were warned by their superiors, they inform the authorities once again to get medical help and enough police squad to arrest the molesters.
As previously mentioned by the Chief, the superior desk of members calls a meeting to take suitable action for the violation of rules by Ki-joon and Hee-yeol. In the meeting, Prof. Yang talks in favour of Ki-joon and Hee-yeol since they did the right thing that every police officer or a socially responsible person should do.
Therefore, as punishment, the disciplinary committee decides to extend their academy life for one more year and apply a one-year community service instead of expulsion. In the end, Yun-Jung comes to meet Ki-joon and Hee-yeol to express her gratitude.
Theme
The ‘Midnight Runners’ pictures the lives of two police cadet mates who follow their hearts to rescue a group of girls abducted for their unfertilised eggs. The cadets encounter the kidnappers unexpectedly. As students in the police academy, the duo apply their practical and theoretical knowledge gained from the university to save the girls and arrest the culprits. The movie highlights the perseverance needed by the people working in the police force. At the end of the movie, the mates are able to succeed in their mission by coordinating a perfect team play and asking for help when needed without any hesitation or fear.
The movie shows a different version of sexual harassment faced by women in society. The abducted girls in the movie are treated the same as poultry for collecting unfertilised eggs to make a profit for the egg-harvesting gang.
Awards
- 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2017
Best New Actor – Park Seo-joon
Top 10 Films - 54th Grand Bell Awards 2017
Best New Actor – Park Seo-joon - 6th Korea Film Actors Association Awards 2017
Popular Star Award – Park Seo-joon - 9th Korea Film Reporters Association Film Awards (KOFRA) 2018
Best New Actor – Park Seo-joon
Interesting Facts about Midnight Runners
- Within the fifth day of ‘Midnight Runners’, the movie was watched by 1.9 million audience accumulating a profit of 13.6 million US dollars.
- ‘Midnight Runners’ is the debut movie of Park Seo-joon in a lead role.
- Internationally, ‘Midnight Runners’ was released in 12 nations.
- ‘Midnight Runners’ has an Indian remake released on 16 September 2022 in the name ‘Saakini Daakini’.
FAQs
- Who plays the lead roles in ‘Midnight Runners’?
Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul play the lead roles in ‘Midnight Runner’. - When is ‘Midnight Runners’ released?
‘Midnight Runners’ is released on 9 August 2017.
- Who is the director of ‘Midnight Runners’?
Jason Kim/Kim Ju-hwan directed ‘Midnight Runners’. - What is the Instagram ID of Park Seo-joon?
@bn_sj2013.
- Who wrote the screenplay for ‘Midnight Runners’?
Jason Kim wrote the screenplay of ‘Midnight Runners’.
