White Night

A pawnbroker is found dead in an abandoned building in a remote town, and suspicion falls on three people. Each of them has a solid alibi, and the case stalls. Nearly fifteen years later, the lead inspector reopens the investigation, setting a long-delayed pursuit in motion. The film moves between the original killing and the present-day inquiry, tracing a detective, a woman living under a false identity and a man devoted to protecting her, while a detective's renewed attention closes in on secrets that have been kept for years. It is based on the Japanese novel by Keigo Higashino.

Park Shin-woo directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Park Yeon-seon, with Lim Ji-young producing. It was Park's second feature as director, following his 2005 debut. Son Ye-jin plays the dual role of Yoo Mi-ho and Lee Ji-ah, with Han Suk-kyu as Han Dong-soo, Go Soo as Kim Yo-han, and supporting turns from Lee Min-jung, Park Sung-woong and Cha Hwa-yeon among a cast of twenty. The Korean production was released on 19 November 2009 and runs 135 minutes.

The film took about six million dollars worldwide, a modest return for a release of this scale. Ratings sit in mixed territory: 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 1,500 votes, and 6.2 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller sample of 46. The larger IMDb group points to mild approval rather than enthusiasm.