Midnight FM

Plot

Ko Sun-young is a popular television announcer and midnight DJ on a show that mixes film analysis with selected songs from the associated soundtracks. Sun-young decides to quit her job after her daughter, Eun-soo, requires heart surgery that is only available in the United States. On her last day of work, Sun-young's sister Ah-young babysits Eun-soo at Sun-young's apartment. While she is on the air, Sun-young receives a call from a man named Han Dong-soo, who claims to be her fan. Inspired by Travis Bickle, the unstable vigilante from Taxi Driver, Dong-soo has begun to murder pimps and drug dealers throughout the city. When he hears about Sun-young's imminent retirement, he takes her family hostage and demands that she retool her final broadcast to his specifications. However, Sun-young's boss discards the new playlist on the assumption that Sun-young herself submitted it.

When Sun-young does not follow his instructions and instead calls the police, Dong-soo murders the policemen that arrive and cuts off one of Ah-young's toes. With the help of Son Deok-tae, an awkward, obsessed fan, Sun-young attempts to recreate her first broadcasts. When her boss intervenes, Dong-soo murders Ah-young. Furious and in shock, Sun-young explains the situation to her confused co-workers. Dong-soo forces Sun-young to quote her previous commentary on Taxi Driver, in which she requests a hero like Bickle to arise, and demands that she call him a hero; she reluctantly does so. Meanwhile, Sun-young tries to sneak out of the studio to rescue her daughter, but Dong-soo has already fled the house. Sun-young chases after him, and Dong-soo leads her to where he has kidnapped a man he claims to be a human trafficker. The man denies the charge and begs for his life. Dong-soo orders Sun-young to kill the man, but she refuses. Sun-young says that the man deserves a trial, and she shoots Dong-soo instead.

Cast

Soo Ae as Ko Sun-young

Yoo Ji-tae as Han Dong-soo

Ma Dong-seok as Son Deok-tae

Jung Man-sik as Oh Jung-moo

Kim Min-kyu as Yang Woo-han

Choi Song-hyun as Park Kyung-yang

Shin Da-eun as Ko Ah-young

Lee Joon-ha as Ko Eun-soo

Choi Hee-won as Ko Hyun-ji

Jo Suk-hyun as Detective Jo

Kwak Do-won as Jang Suk-hyun

Uhm Tae-goo as Detective Uhm

Chae Hee-jae as Detective Chae

Lee Sang-hong as Yang Bok-nam

Kim Byung-soon as Director

Kim Yun-tae as Visit police officer

Lee Hyun-geol as Kim Tae-soo

Kim Gyu-sun as Younger sister of man in suit

Yoon Hee-won as Senior anchor

Park Tae-kyung as Drunk man

Song Ji-in as Young woman

Kim Shin-young as Studio DJ (cameo)

Kim Hyun-ah as Studio guest (cameo)

Release

Midnight FM was released October 14, 2010, in South Korea. The international premiere was at the Hawaii International Film Festival ten days later.

Reception

Darcy Paquet of Screen International called it "a better-than-average Korean thriller that despite its plot holes, manages to maintain the tension all the way through." Shelagh Rowan-Legg of Twitch Film wrote, "Midnight FM can easily be added not only to the radio film canon, but also to the slate of great thrillers being produced in recent years in South Korea." James Mudge of Beyond Hollywood wrote, "Certainly, director Kim's enthusiasm makes up for any lack of originality, and thanks to a fine script, fast pace and the efforts of the headlining stars, it stands as one of the best and most fun Korean thrillers of the last year or so."