Nocturnal

5/18/2025

If you know anything about South Korean cinema, you will be aware they have a penchant, for quality crime action thrillers. "Nocturnal" satisfies the crime action side of the equation but falls a little short, on the thriller aspect of this tale. The story, at its climax, ultimately feels a little predictable and underwhelming. That's not to say this isn't an inherently watchable production. The gritty, no holds barred crime aspect of this film is done exceedingly well. There are dark, well rendered characterisations, who have a fatalistic view of life and its hardships. Equally, the extremely violent, street clashes between a protagonist, out for revenge and mafia style, street thugs is frenetic and enthralling. In summary, not quite the thrilling tale I had hoped for but what

5/29/2025

# Broken in all the right places **Spoiler warning ahead. Proceed only if you've already watched—or don't mind being broken wide open.** --- ## A title lost in translation There’s something quietly frustrating about mismatched titles. The Korean name for this film, 브로큰 (beurokeun)—Broken—says everything it needs to. It’s raw. It’s thematic. It’s accurate. And then came Nocturnal. Elegant, perhaps, even poetic. But Nocturnal is the name of a novel within the story, not the story itself. A choice that, while likely made for international appeal, ends up setting the wrong tone and wrong expectations. If you go in expecting a moody thriller about late-night brooding, you’ll come out thinking the third act forgot to arrive. If they had kept the English title as Broken, the sto