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Midnight Runners
청년경찰
2017 109 min South Korea 16+
★7.8
Comedy, Action, Crime
Director: Joo-hwan Kim
Trailers
Description
Two apathetic police academy recruits who become best buddies through the tough training together witness a woman being abducted right before their very eyes. As they were taught in the academy, they quickly report the incident to the police, but the police are in no hurry to jump on the case. So the duo decide to take the matter into their own hands and rescue the woman.
Starring
Park Seo-joon
Actor
Kang Ha-neul
Actor
Park Ha-seon
Actor
Awards
4 wins & 4 nominations total
Key opinion
Midnight Runners is a high-energy genre hybrid that balances buddy-comedy dynamics with a gritty criminal investigation. While audiences largely praise the chemistry between the leads and the blend of humor and tension, some critics find the narrative logic implausible and the tonal shifts uneven.
| Acting | The lead actors deliver charismatic performances that effectively ground the film's buddy-cop dynamic. | |
| Originality | The film successfully bridges the gap between lighthearted comedic banter and grim thematic elements regarding police idealism. | |
| Humor | The comedic sequences are often seen as witty and engaging, though some viewers find the jokes to be hollow or poorly translated. | |
| Direction | The action choreography and combat scenarios face criticism for being physically implausible and lacking realistic tactical execution. | |
| Score | The musical score is frequently criticized for being repetitive and failing to match the intensity of the onscreen fight sequences. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative structure receives conflicting feedback, with some appreciating the earnest storytelling while others argue the plotting is derivative and lacks a clear moral foundation. |