I came for Um Tae Goo’s voice & acting from 놀아주는 여자 My Sweet Mobster and stayed for him and Jeon Yeo Been. I choose Night In Paradise as the very first Um Indulgent as I find the movie title very interesting.
I saw this guy’s work a decade ago in Inspiring Generation (Korean Drama) as a bad/grey character. He had my attention then but I never followed his work until My Sweet Mobster came. The reason is because he always goes for the dark roles which is not my cup of tea. But, yes I’m willing to dive in now in 2024 just for him.
If you’re wondering if you should dip your toes in this movie for Um Tae Goo’s sake or for other reasons, I say go for it. There are spoilers below… so if you’ve not watched it, DON’T scroll down. A movie or drama is best enjoyed without knowing anything beforehand.
Korean title: 낙원의 밤
Korean romanization title: Nakwonui Bam
International English title: Night In Paradise
Hanja title: 樂園의 밤
Director: Park Hoon Jung
Writer (screenplay): Park Hoon Jung
Producer: Park Hoon Jung
Release dates: 3rd September 2020 (77th Venice International Film Festival) & 9th April 2021 (South Korea)
Runtime: 131 mins (2 hours 11 minutes)
Genres: Action, noir, crime, gangster, dark, gore
A meatier Um Tae Goo is a welcome sight. He gained 9kg for this role but said he lost weight naturally when they filmed at Jeju-do later.
Synopsis from Netflix:
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.
Cast:
Um Tae Goo as Park Tae Goo
Jeon Yeo Been as Jae Yeon
Cha Seung Won as Ma Sang Gil
Lee Ki Young as Kuto
Park Ho San as CEO Yang Do Soo
Son Byong Ho as Chairman Doh
Lee Moon Sik as Captain Park
Cho Dong In as Jin Sung
Hyun Bong Sik as boss of a gun trafficking organization
Cha Soon Bae as CEO Hwang
Jang Young Nam as Jae Kyung (Tae Goo’s old sister)
Ahn Se Bin as Ji Eun (Tae Goo’s niece)
My Review:
I went into Night In Paradise knowing that it’s very violent + nekkid Um. Heck, it was EXTREMELY violent with gore and all. Thankfully, I was able to tune out those parts. I guess years of watching American shows & movies years ago built up my strength.
The sweetest part of this movie is the start where you see Park Tae Goo being a silly uncle to his cute niece & his relationship with his half-sister, Jae Kyung played by one of my favorite actresses Jang Young Nam.
The movie feeds you with a melancholy vibe of gangsterism & Jeju-do throughout with smartly used filters and haunting background music. By the 1 hour mark, the movie title suddenly dawns on you. How aptly named! For both Tae Goo & Jae Yeon, it’s nighttime on the paradise island of Jeju.
On the outside, Park Tae Goo & Jae Yeon seem like people with frozen hearts. But, once you thaw them, they demonstrate the humanness so needed in that cold cold world of theirs. I particularly love both the scenes of them at the mulhoe (물회 spicy raw fish soup) restaurant.
The show didn’t make me vouch for both Park Tae Goo & Jae Yeon. There weren’t many emotional connections between them and me. But the way this movie is executed which I don’t know how to describe is excellent. The slow dance, the brutal dance, the slow dance again, the hurried dance, the bloodshed dance, the main act and the last act… they all flow like water.
Though, I find that the whodunit and the last act were cliché and predictable.
So, when I finally vouched for Tae Goo, I was crying. Dang, those tear ducts. And, figuratively I cried for the stunning views of Jeju-do that I didn’t know existed! This movie was beautifully shot from every angle.
I’m so very glad I watched Night In Paradise. For just the main reason alone: Um Tae Goo. He’s so versatile. His mobster/gangster vibe in this is nothing of that sort in My Sweet Mobster, although he played a mobster (ex-mobster for the latter) in both. This is the first of Jeon Yeo Been’s work I’ve seen and I very much like it.
My Ratings: 8/10 (would’ve been 10 if they kept him alive… although we all know he has like 0.0001% of chance)
Favorite Lines in Night In Paradise:
Tae Goo: Are you okay?
Jae Yeon: Crazy… Do I look okay?
Tae Goo: No…
Jae Yeon: I hate it when a$$holes ask me that when they already know I’m not. Keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what to say.
A few seconds later…
Jae Yeon: Are you okay?
Tae Goo: Do I look okay?
Jae Yeon: No…
Tae Goo: I hate it when bitche$ ask me that when they already know…
Very much later…
Tae Goo: Are you okay?
Jae Yeon: I’m okay. Are you okay?
Tae Goo: Do I look okay?
Jae Yeon: No…
Tae Goo: I hate it when bitche$ ask me that when they already know I’m not. But thank you… for asking.
This brings me to Park Hoon Jung, the director who also wrote and produced this movie. I see your past works and they all look bleak. Now, with your talent, I dare you to write a show that’s full of warmth & heartfulness.
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