The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Ambition earns the room.”
The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.
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The Night Owl
Thriller · Mystery · History · 2022
Korea, 1645 - Joseon Dynasty: a partially blind and gifted acupuncturist, Gyeong-su, is invited to work alongside the royal physician in the palace of King Injo, just before the crown prince Sohyeon returns after having been held captive by the Qing Dynasty. Prince Sohyeon and his father begin to differ in opinion on the future direction of their dynasty, leading King Injo to suffer from severe anxiety and paranoia. One night, Gyeong-su witnesses prince Sohyeon's death. Disbelieved as a witness on account of his blindness, Gyeong-su must struggle to reveal the truth while not falling prey to the power-hungry conspirators of the palace.
Movie details
The Night Owl
“The crown prince is dead. The only witness is a blind man.”
2022 Thriller · Mystery · History 1h 58m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.3 / 10
Community rating
Korea, 1645 - Joseon Dynasty: a partially blind and gifted acupuncturist, Gyeong-su, is invited to work alongside the royal physician in the palace of King Injo, just before the crown prince Sohyeon returns after having been held captive by the Qing Dynasty. Prince Sohyeon and his father begin to differ in opinion on the future direction of their dynasty, leading King Injo to suffer from severe anxiety and paranoia. One night, Gyeong-su witnesses prince Sohyeon's death. Disbelieved as a witness on account of his blindness, Gyeong-su must struggle to reveal the truth while not falling prey to the power-hungry conspirators of the palace.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Night Owl?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Jennifer Eight
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
An Tae-jin
Written by
An Tae-jin · Hyun Gyu-ri
Ryu Jun-yeol
Cheon Gyeong-su
Yoo Hai-jin
King Injo
Choi Mu-sung
Lee Hyeong-ik
Cho Seong-ha
Lord Choi
Park Myung-hoon
Man-sik
Kim Sung-cheol
Crown Prince Sohyeon
Ahn Eun-jin
Consort Jo
Court is in session
Put The Night Owl on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Importance has entered the chat.”
The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.