Nocturnal (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 is offered, is extremely well done. Suffice to say, if you like this kind of thing, "Nocturnal" is well worth a look.

# Broken in all the right places

**Spoiler warning ahead. Proceed only if you've already watched—or don't mind being broken wide open.**

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## 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 story, pacing, and ending would’ve made more sense.

## Acting and atmosphere

For what it is—a revenge thriller—the film delivers. Solid performances all around, led by an actor who wears his role like it’s grown into his bones—a notorious gangster who had already left that life behind but is forced to return after the death of his younger brother.

It gives off the same energy as John Wick—feared, respected, tried to live a normal life, but got dragged back in. Except instead of a dog, it was his sibling.

The cinematography fits the tone: mysterious, crime, gritty, and fitting for a revenge plot. No complaints there.

## Final thoughts

> When mislabeling ruins the mood

The tragedy here isn’t just in the story—it’s in the mismatch between title and tone. International viewers might be left confused by the final scene. There is a sense of something settling, but it’s jagged and unsatisfying—because it was never meant to be about closure. It was about being Broken.

If they had just stuck with Broken, the pieces would’ve come together. Instead, we’re left with a film that feels unfinished, incomplete—not by design, but by branding.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars (8 if you pretend the title was Broken all along)

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- License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC By-SA) 4.0 International
- By: [Yohan Yukiya Sese Cuneta 사요한](https://iam.youronly.one) ([YourOnly.One](https://im.youronly.one))
- Date: 2025-05-26