Night in Paradise isn’t the ideal movie for locked-down streamers, but it’s one that challenges audiences to find silver linings in dark life experiences. The film’s extreme violence will unnerve the morally-righteous who mistake depiction for promotion, and the fatalistic themes won’t resonate with Netflix subscribers who just can’t put down their phones. Writer-director Hoon-jung Park masks the 131-minute drama with gangster tropes and Gareth Evans-style brutality, but ultimately focuses on small moments that fuel a blossoming romance between traumatized people who are emotionally spent.
Tae-goo Eom stars as Tae-gu, a Seoul native who accepts a contract killing while grieving his young sister’s death. The gangster seemingly completes the hit and then gets sent to Jeju Island by his boss, Yang (Ho-san Park) — a way to avoid any immediate retribution. Tae-gu finds refuge in the home of underworld legend Tuko (Ki-young Lee) while preparing for a trip to Vladivostok, Russia, and forms a friendship with the host’s niece, Jae-yeon (Yeo-jin Jeon), a charismatic yet terminally-ill woman who displays suicidal behavior. When Tae-gu learns that he’s the fall guy in a South Korean gangster-politician conspiracy, he hits the road with Jae-yeon and tries to find meaning in the chaos.
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Night in Paradise finds its sweet spot in the relationship between Tae-gu and Jae-yeon. The two characters somewhat remind of Jean-Luc Godard’s Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg) in Breathless (À bout de souffle), only they’re surrounded by Mother Nature rather than Parisian threats. Eom steadily reinforces his character’s moral compass, as the discerning gangster has no problem whacking bad guys but won’t accept a sexual invitation from his female companion, who is clearly suffering from mental health issues. As Jae-yeon, Jeon plays off Eom’s stoic performance and pinpoints her character’s ability to sway a conversation. The actress’ dead-eye stares are especially effective, but it’s her frank dialogue delivery that sets up Night in Paradise’s most poignant sequences. The film’s late-movie conversational callbacks are too on-the-nose at times, too predictable, but they carry incredible weight when considering the intense thematic context.
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The collective baddies in Night in Paradise allow the audience to fully engage with the Tae-gu/Jae-yeon drama. Park relies on accessible gangster archetypes to establish the stakes, but wisely commits to the central love story. Seung-won Cha provides the most dynamic supporting performance as Sang-gil, a gangster chairman who brokers a deal with Tae-gu’s boss, Yang, and a power-hungry politician. The actor’s snarling mannerisms are reminiscent of Japanese actor Joe Shishido, who famously had cheek surgery to make himself more recognizable as a performer. In Night in Paradise, Cha stands out with his body language and menacing stares as Sang-gil slithers his way through the Seoul underworld. He’s like a creepy voyeur who doesn’t mind showing his face. Fellow actor Ho-san Park succeeds when conveying Yang’s most despicable personality traits, but it’s Cha who steals the show as a proper movie villain; a sleazy mobster with no moral backbone whatsoever.
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Night in Paradise’s extremely violent climax will undoubtedly be cited by its harshest critics. There’s a real-world parallel that can’t be ignored, and the fact remains that many moviegoers only want films to align with their idealized vision of humanity, and how the world should be. Night in Paradise doesn’t care about anybody’s PC check box, but does care deeply about exploring Tae-gu and Jae-yeon’s ride-or-die mentalities, and how they impact each others’ lives through heart-felt revelations and well-timed displays of affection.
Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.
Categories: 2020s, 2021 Film Reviews, Crime, Drama, Featured, Film Reviews, Netflix Originals, Streaming Originals
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