Night in Paradise is a 2021 South Korean neo-noir thriller directed by Park Hoon-jung that ventures into the darkest depths of betrayal and revenge in an almost poetic fashion. Hoon-jung's picture uses the serene and picturesque Jeju Island as a haunting backdrop for the film's characters Tae-goo (Uhm Tae-goo) and Jae-yeon (Jeon Yeo-been). Tae-goo is a loyal gang member who goes to the island to seek refuge after a brutal act of vengeance against a rival syndicate leader following the murder of his sister and niece. What he doesn't know is that there is more than meets the eye in the whole ordeal, as some of those he trusts are involved in chasing after him. It's the ultimate act of betrayal. Park contrasts the lush, open spaces of Jeju with the suffocating tension surrounding Tae-goo, who finds that vengeance, rather than bringing liberation, only tightens the chains it promised to break.
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Jeju Island's beauty contrasts sharply with the film's violence, perhaps lending the film its title, creating an Eden marred by vengeance that speaks to the contradictions of neo-noir itself -- beautiful yet brutal. Here, Tae-goo meets Jae-yeon, who is grappling with her own traumatic scars as well as battling a terminal illness that reminds Tae-goo of his deceased sister. Their shared sad lives instantly connect them. They carry psychological scars that make them weary of hope and form a connection that is strangely deeply human. Park leans into the neo-noir tradition, with Tae-goo and Jae-yeon haunted by their inescapable pasts. Jae-yeon's and Tae-goo's shared understanding creates a dynamic that feels intensely tragic -- two souls trapped in a cycle of violence.
✕ Remove Ads 'Night in Paradise' Is Caught in a Never-Ending Cycle of Violence Close
Following in the footsteps of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy for a place among South Korea's most acclaimed films, Night in Paradise'srevenge and betrayal go hand-in-hand, turning every act of violence into a self-perpetuating cycle. Tae-goo's loyalty is put to the test when he declines an offer from a rival gang, an honorable decision that paradoxically sets him on a destructive path. His faith in his boss only leads to betrayal, as his loved ones are killed to send him a message. Tae-goo's revenge may seem like justice, but it only plunges him deeper into a violent world that consumes anyone attached to him. Park illustrates the hollowness of revenge, where every move to "right" a wrong only begets further chaos. Tae-goo's journey is not one of redemption or recovery but a descent into violence that becomes both his prison and his legacy.
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On Jeju Island, Jae-yeon's cool demeanor and expertise with firearms add yet another layer to this theme of violence as an answer to betrayal. Her hardened outlook, forged by betrayal and personal loss, complements Tae-goo's brooding intensity. While she shares Tae-goo's thirst for vengeance -- she has perfected her gun shooting skills because she practices with a target's face in her mind -- Jae-yeon recognizes its empty promise and her own helplessness in the situation. Her icy resolve and Tae-goo's simmering rage create a dynamic where violence is always on the horizon with a silent threat lurking beneath the surface of their strange alliance. Together, they represent two sides of the same coin: broken people responding to betrayal with violence, yet aware of its futility. But unlike Antoine Fuqua's "broken people saving broken people" in his thrilling masterpiece The Guilty, Night in Paradise offers a bleak alternative of "misery loves company" through and through.
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4 'Night in Paradise' Is a Bleak Ode to the Neo-Noir Tradition
Night in Paradise breaks away from traditional crime dramas, which may offer redemption. It instead embraces the neo-noir philosophy that characters are often powerless to escape the violence in their lives. Each confrontation pulses with bleak inevitability. Park stages these scenes with a visceral clarity that echoes the characters' hopelessness. His violent scenes sometimes trudge on a tad too long, and his bloodbaths are all unflinchingly caught on camera, which may be a turn-off for those who can't stomach gore. Night in Paradise flips the script of typical revenge movies by focusing on the cost of vengeance rather than its supposed rewards. Tae-goo and Jae-yeon's tragic bond and their inevitable fate drive home the point that, in a world where revenge answers to betrayal, freedom is fleeting, if attainable at all.
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As one of the best neo-noir films on Netflix right now, it's a rare gem for fans of the genre, offering a journey as beautiful as it is unsettling, where every act of revenge begets more violence and every betrayal leaves a deeper scar.
Night in Paradise NoirCrime
Hiding out in Jeju Island following a brutal tragedy, a wronged mobster with a target on his back connects with a woman who has her own demons.
Release Date April 9, 2021 Director Park Hoon-jung Cast Uhm Tae-goo , Jeon Yeo-been , Cha Seung-won Runtime 2 hr 11 min
Night in Paradise is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
WATCH ON NETFLIX