For our SDLAP meeting, we decided to watch Midnight Runners, which was a Korean comedy film. This movie is about two young students in Korea’s Police Academy to train as officers. They have a hard time taking some of the training seriously because some of the movements the professors teach them seem childish. For one night out, these two young trainees witness a young woman being kidnapped in a dark alley way, and chases after the car. They were unable to catch the car, so they thought about their police training and returned to the place where the crime scene occurred. The young woman was carrying a bag of tteok-bokki on her way home, and she dropped it when she was kidnapped. The two trainees investigated origins of the tteok-bokki, notified the nearby police station, and contacted their professor. They were told to stop investigating privately and let the higher ups take care of it, which would take a couple weeks before an investigation begins. The two police trainers could not way that long since they were told during their training that the first seven hours of the crime is the most crucial in saving the victim.
They continued their private investigation and found that the incident was part of an illegal egg harvesting farm where young women were kidnapped so that their eggs can be harvested. They found the hiding spot of the kidnappers and attempted to rescue the women held hostage. However, they failed to rescue them because the kidnappers found out and a fight broke out. The two police trainees returned to the academy and decided to train relentlessly because they know the women are in danger. Once it was time, they decided to confront the kidnappers, but this time, they are in a hospital parking lot. The kidnappers are delivering the girls to a fertility clinic that was also part of the illegal act, and now the eggs are going to be harvested without their consent. Just before the surgery, the two police trainees broke in and halted all operations and managed to knock out the boss unconscious.
The two police actions’ must be reviewed by the police academy since the trainees were not officially police officers and did not have the legal right to try to catch the kidnappers. However, the police academy took the trainees’ bravery and courage into account, and they held them back one year and assigned 500 community service hours for both the police trainees.
This movie allowed me to examine aspects of Korean culture such as the food, Korean police academy, other cultures within Korea, and city-wide surveillance. The bag of tteok-bokki that the woman was holding is a famous dish in Korean culture. It is commonly known as “rice-cakes” for Westerners. This is a dish that is commonly served during special occasions or on a regular basis. They are normally cylindrical and soft mixed in with an orange sauce, and other toppings can be mixed in as well.
When the two police trainees were trying to locate the illegal egg harvesting farm, they found themselves in a small nook where the words on the signs of shops had Chinese characters. This area was sketchy, and the taxi driver warned them to not enter this area because it is known for crimes. This scene shows that there are other cultures present in Korean society and may have in influence in Korean culture. For an example, the delicious dish called jajeongmyeon is a fusion dish between Korean and Chinese culture. In Chinese, this dish is called zhajiangmian.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this movie because it was hilariously and serious at the same time with a beautiful ending. Korean movies and entertainment system is gaining popularity all around the world, and I hope to do a cultural analysis on other awesome Korean movies in the future.
Comments
Hi Anna, I watched this movie when I was in Korea and I remember it was a huge hit. I loved the action/ comedy plot and the talented actors. I think the movie did a great job at bringing attention to a serious issue in an entertaining way.
I loved Midnight Runners - I really loved the chemistry between Park Seo Joon and Kang Ha Neul. I really liked the scene when they were shaving their heads. I think Korea does a great job with comedy movies, and Midnight Runners is definitely one of the better ones I've watched.