Blind

"Blind" is a interesting enough thriller, with an idea that is not used to its full potential and that loses too much time on non important things.

Min Soo-ah wants to become a policewoman, but one day, when taking his foster brother back home, they have an accident, he dies and she goes blind. Cue three years later and after a fight with her foster mother, she gets into a taxi to go home, with so bad luck that the driver is actually a serial killer. She doesn't know it, and before he can get her to his dungeon, they have an accident, the car hitting a woman. They fight, because she wants to call the police. Min Soo-ah leaves the car, the man takes the hit woman and puts her in the trunk, running away. The police puts a very bitter detective to help Min Soo-ah with finding the taxi driver, without knowing that he is also the women abductor they have been searching for a while.

So, "Blind" doesn't go very far away from your typical thriller, with the exception that the story is centered on a blind woman, more than on the detectives. Sadly, the movie doesn't offer anything different apart from that, so it isn't very original. On top of that, the bad guy (played with very little flair by Yang Yeong-jo) is just your typical serial killer. He gets women, he kills them. End. He is kind of immortal when the plot asks for it, and the police is kind of stupid in their work trying to stop him. Quite sloppy actually.

On top of that, "Blind" has some of the traits that all Korean thriller have. Violence is one, even though here we don't have much. A lot of swearing is another. And the cheesy moments too. HaNeul Kim is OK as the blind woman, but probably the one that steals the show is the dog, way more expressive than some of the actors.

If you like Korean thrillers, "Blind" is a good enough example, but it's not original and falls on the same trappings than other Korean movies. Probably some other movie ("Memories of Murder", "A Bittersweet Life", "A Dirty Carnival"...) would be a better option.

After a tragic accident, soon to be police officer Min Soo-Ah (Kim Ha-Neul) loses not only the opportunity to work in law enforcement, but her eyesight as well. Potentially most well known for her role in My Girlfriend is an Agent, Ms. Ha-Neul is absolutely outstanding in her role. Ten minutes into the film, the audience cannot help but feel immense sympathy for the struggles she is forced to endure on a daily basis.

Her character doesn't just look real, but equally feels real too, Ms. Ha-Neul ceasing to be herself, becoming totally immersed in the role. There wasn't a single moment in the film where I didn't believe she was visually impaired.

Moreover, the film excels at showcasing the stigma she is forced to suffer from those she meets, the film ensuring that viewers are not blind to the abusive opinions of disrespectful individuals who see those afflicted with a disability not as human beings, but as hindrances to society.

The feature does not attempt to empower the blind, instead, through Soo-Ah, revealing them to be regular people, attempting to live a normal life. We witness the existence Soo-Ah has been forced to adopt because of her condition; how she is treated by her nearest family; and the affection she has for her loyal canine companion Seul-Gi.

For Soo-Ah however, this desire to live normally becomes even more complicated when she is witness to a hit and run, a case that is linked to a missing person the police are desperate to find.

Jo Hee-Bong portrays Detective Jo, an officer who has no interest in investigating a case where the only witness is visually impaired. When a reward is posted for a witness, who actually saw the hit and run, to make themselves available for questioning, Kwon Ki-Sub (Yoo Seung-Ho), comes forward, contradicting everything that Soo-Ah admitted to hearing, which calls her statement into questioning. Can the statement of a blind witness efficaciously lead to the apprehension of a murderer?

Although Soo-Ah and the Detective originally appear awkward on screen, the chemistry between them as the Detective investigates her side of the story draws the viewer further into the story. Although initially unsure of her capabilities, the Detective comes to admire Soo-Ah's strength, the working relationship between these characters being as well executed as it is engaging.

Despite originally appearing as a rather unlikable character, even Ki-Sub proves to be an individual the audience can invest their respect in. Although his character and the Detective's are well portrayed, alongside having considerable screen time, they each have a limited back-story. Although we can presume to know their history from the limited information we receive, it is seldom enough to satisfy our appetite to explore two of the lead characters in the plot.

Furthermore, greater depth could have being provided to the antagonist. The audience are never granted sufficient information regarding the motivations behind why he kidnaps and murders women, nor do we discover what he acquires from these horrific crimes. Is it satisfaction, power, the Godlike ability to dictate who lives, or is there something else in play?

As the investigation begins to draw closer to finding a suspect, the villain behind it all realizes he is been pursued, putting the lives of those who witnessed the hit and run in jeopardy. The tension exhibited during the cat and mouse style sequences that occupy this feature is terrific, and one particular chase scene, which is beyond expectational, is sure to leave audiences riveted.

The score assists in accentuating even the most suspenseful moments, and the emotional depth provided by not only the script, but the actors themselves, alongside the beautiful conclusion, makes Blind one of those rare films that will keep audiences continuously enthralled.

Although every year sees the manufacture of additional films in this genre, Blind is one sophisticated thriller that no one should consider missing.

Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers.

Blind is a 2011 Korean movie about a blind person, who would've guessed?...More specifically, its crime-drama-thriller that revolves around the hunt for a serial killer in which said blind person is the central figure.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The film's star (Kim Ha-Neul) is as splendid as always; she plays a former exemplary police cadet who lost both her vision and her younger directionless brother years ago due to a tragic accident which she blames herself for. As times passes, she tries to cope with the accident, and simply move forward in life, as best as possible.

Meanwhile, there is a lunatic at large that is killing and torturing young women. The police are baffled and have very few valid leads, until fate intervenes one rainy night and the blind woman comes face to face with the killer himself while he's committing a crime. She's called in for police questioning afterwards as more or less a matter of procedure. She's mostly disregarded at first until it becomes more and more clear to the detective interviewing her that she can provide valuable clues and insight to the case despite her disability.

A short time later, a young punk is also called in as a witness to the same crime that the blind woman "experienced". He can see, and his recollection of events of the crime contradicts that of the blind woman. As a result of his differing opinion of what occurred, the police have no choice to consider this another potentially invalid lead, and leave the one detective in charge of sorting it out while they utilize their man power to focus on other leads.

Now, as should be obvious at this point, both the blind woman and the young punk actually did witness the killer committing a crime, they just each "saw" it a little differently. And, the killer knows who both of them are, and knows they must be silenced, so the game of cat & mouse is on between the parties.

There's a bonding with the young punk and blind woman as they are chased by the killer; this is driven by their instincts to simply survive, but it's also augmented by the back story of them getting to know and appreciate & need each other on a more personal level (i.e. blind woman starts to look upon young punk as another "younger brother" she should take care of and help find direction in life, and the young punk looks upon the blind woman as a person he should look up to and help protect and cherish as the "older sister" he never had).

This film is not without its faults, but I think it "works" fairly well enough overall. It does what it's supposed to for the most part, and is complimented by enough suspenseful scenes throughout to keep you watching...I found the subway chase scene in particular to be highly entertaining and quite unique.

I feel this movie is definitely a worthwhile watch...so, 7 out of 10 stars for me.

The movie was enjoyable, if you like the thriller/serial killer type of films you have to watch it. The main character plays her role as a blind person very well. Also there's a part in the film that is so sad it hurts. You'll know when you see it.

I chose Blind (2011) solely based on the fact that Nayanthara's next upcoming film, Netrikkann, is based on this Korean thriller.

The unique plotline, where a blind ex-cop looks to track down a serial killer based on a chance encounter, is a surefire hook for any movie aficionado.

An adorable and nuanced lead performance from Kim Ha-nuel and moreover, her beloved pet 'Seul'gi' have you instantly rooting for their perilous journey to the truth.

Yoo Seung-ho is wonderfully restrained in his role as a problematic witness while Jo Hee-bong delightfully inserts dollops of dry humour in the tensest of scenes to leave you pleasantly surprised.

It is Yang Yeong-Jo's fearsome villain that truly takes the cake in terms of performances, balancing the outward gentleman persona brilliantly with the psychopath underneath.

Blind is engaging, emotional, suspenseful and cathartic. In a role seemingly tailor-made for her, if Nayanathra and team manage to keep the audience on a knife-edge with the same suspenseful narration, they will have an industry hit on their hands.

Highly recommended.