Blind (2011) Poster

(2011)

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7/10
An entertaining thriller with some flaws…..
ajit210620 August 2012
Blind is about a woman (Kim Ha-Neul), a former student at the police academy, lost her eyes and only brother in an accident. Living with loss of sight, she bumps into a hit and run case and becomes the witness, and Police requires help from her in order to catch the madcap out for a killing spree.

The investigation continues and as we find that she engulfed herself badly with one more eye-witness (Seung Ho Yoo) and the chase begins. The plot is strong but execution is little timid however, the character development is not up to the mark. The tension evolves from start to end. But sometimes lags behind in the script with the appearance of many characters which have less to do and a bit of melodrama.

It is not a balanced and perfect thriller like the chaser, Memories of Murder, Mother, I Saw the Devil etc. but still manages to hold your attention by all means. The cinematography is fin and Ha-Neul Kim is simply awesome.

Still recommended for every THRILLER lover, because it has all the ingredients of a decent & creepy Korean thriller.

7/10
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7/10
Horror, but not just
andrejvasiljevic14 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I am not a fan of splattering blood, screams in the dark and psychotic chainsaw killers. Horror may be one of the oldest movie genres, but I really don't see much in it. That may be for the American interpretation and production, however, in Asia the story is a little different. Both Japanese and Koreans have made a very specific mainstream of these movies over the years, and although they can be very much sinister, there is something which brings them above all others.

"Blind" is undoubtedly a horror movie. But beside the blood spattering tension, it pretty much contains segments of drama and even comedy at moments. It sure sounds weird, but somehow it just fits together.

Min Soo is a young police academy cadet, raised in an orphanage. After she gets involved in a horrible car accident, where one of her orphaned companions dies, she loses her sight and continues to soldier on in life all alone. The police academy days are over, while this beautiful girl is left by herself to fight blindness in a world of little compassion. The sense of guilt for her brother's death in the accident eats her up inside. Little does Min Soo know how she would soon become an unwilling witness and a key player in a hunt for a vicious serial killer, with her life and those around her on the line.

"Blind" is a merge of a personal drama with action and horror elements, and that's maybe the reason I liked this film. Unlike the western productions, this brings you closer to the characters and allows you to identify with them. Also, "Blind" confirms a fact that psychopaths are not always some freaks living in forsaken haunted houses, laughing hysterically into the mirror and dancing around in grandma's underpants, but people who disguise in a fairly normal daily life routine. That makes them harder to spot out, and therefore more dangerous.

I wouldn't say "Blind" is the best film of the gene I've seen, but it certainly is in the top 10. It's a good material for all fans of Asian cinematography for sure. And another thing... Asian women are simply amazing :D
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7/10
Subtle and Unspectacular, but Solid Enough!
cremea8 June 2012
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.
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7/10
Min Soo-ah who is a blind girl somehow becomes connected to a case of a missing person, and tries to help the police.
the_waters_nicol29 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It is a nice enough thriller to watch however it is not the best. The pace of the movie is OK. It also manages to keep you seated until the end.

The character development is not very good. Specially when it comes to the villain where there's a lack of explanation to his motives.And there is not much of a twist or revelation in the movie. The linear story doesn't really help that. With a little bit more effort put on the story and character development it could have been a very decent thriller.

The actors deliver well enough performances. However the very simple characters do not demand much of acting skills anyways.

On the other hand cinematography and the technical aspects are quite good as expected from a Korean movie. They do a good job in thrilling you with the use of effects and camera work.
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7/10
Engaging blind woman thriller
Leofwine_draca27 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Another good Korean thriller, this time focused on a blind woman engaged in a cat and mouse game with a serial killer. This one's a little more Hollywood than some I've seen, perhaps a little more cliched at times, but that doesn't stop it being engaging and entertaining. The characters are well drawn and the actors are really great, particularly the goofy cop who gets drawn into the case. The imposing villain is reminiscent of the one in THE CHASER while the suspense peaks during an innovative chase scene in the subway. The ending is where things become more predictable, but there are still enough genuine shocks, twists and violence for this to work well.
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7/10
Nice story and screenplay and editing too...
kamalbeeee17 July 2020
A girl and her younger brother met accident and she lost her brother and her sight too..then she lost her police job.. After 3 years she helps a police to find a serial killer by using her police tactis..and she got relationship with a guy who he is remind her died brother...climax was soo touching by reminding first scene of the movie...
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8/10
Does what a thriller supposed to do!
chrichtonsworld5 September 2012
A thriller isn't always about twist and turns or originality. Sometimes a thriller can be just as effective even when it is predictable.Blind gives us a main character called Min Soo-ah we feel connected to from the start.Sure the drama in her life so early on can be considered a little too much.The fact that she managed to move on while having become visually impaired is something that should be admired.(I know people who use their handicap as an excuse for everything.Then there are some who refuse to and keep going and trying to fulfill the dreams they have.And those people are inspiring).Yes,she does suffer from guilt.Given the situation that is very understandable and makes her even more likable.Of course it takes some suspension of disbelief when it comes to a blind person as a reliable witness.But the way they explained some things weren't that far fetching.At one point the killer finds out that and it's obvious our main character and another witness are in danger.Which brings us to The killer.He is is pure evil.I personally do like my villains to be unpredictable and be diverse.If it weren't for the fact that in this case it is so very effective.In one scene especially you will cry out and become angry.This emotional connection is what I want in a film especially the dark ones.It is the element that keeps you glued to your seat.So who cares if it is clichéd or not? Blind does what is supposed to do.One to recommend.
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7/10
Good effort!
phebychow3 August 2020
I admit the most part of the movie is quite flat without giving us a high level of stimulation. The shooting style is quite different from I saw the Devil or No Mercy which are the classic of gloomy and depression type of Korean thrilling movie.

But the good things are the director ingeniously combined the two contradictory things "witnessing" and "visual impairment" to be the driving force for the development of some interesting plots, which made the story more three-dimensional and intriguing. Some impressed scenes like the use of video call to run through the thrills of the perverted murderer's subway chasing, and the last part how the lead actress confronts with the murder.

Just a minor flaw that the murder can manage to escape being filmed by any CCTV in the subway. Surprise me!
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9/10
Good blind people, bad perfect people...
fluffset14 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Korea always come up with their police story, investigation and whatsoever. But with different idea though. Now they come with a story about a blind woman who witnessed a crime scene. Interesting right? Coz they have so many movie about homicide, psychopath, puzzled mystery and I have watch a lot of them, they have challenge themselves to runaway from what we called, cliché.

Funny policeman (Memories of Murder), ruthless murderer (I Saw The Devil) will always come in our mind while watching this movie. But for me, it's okay because it's nailed me actually on my couch. Unpredictable situation, exciting twist, saddy emotional thats' what thriller needs actually. Not like American movie who always come up with serial killer who always wear a freak costume. In Korea, their killers always in smart suit! Highly recommended! Worth watching!
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6/10
Not the greatest:But still watchable
rashpace4024 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Korean movies always come up with characters that are not normal in our imaginations.What we see often describes the path around us.Sometimes our visions appears to be the thoughts of our eyes.What if a blind young lady who was blind falls into an unexpected situation which demands her life?The movie Blind deals with such a story. Min -Soo,who was a student at Police academy got involved in an accident which killed her brother.She lost her eye sight and the job in the Police.But she was ready to fight against her new conditions.She made arrangements herself to live on her own by technology and speculations.She had a trained dog with her and the technologies with her to survive.But her life changed one rainy night,when she got into a luxurious cab.The cab hit something on the way and the driver told Min Soo that it was a dog.But Min Soo didn't believe what he told as she suspected that it might be a lady.When Min Soo tried to call police,the driver left her on the way and drove the cab. The next day,Min Soo went to Police to file the case.But they didn't believe the blind Min Soo.But later,when a man missing was reported,they seek her help and arranged a Detective named Jo to interrogate.Jo also didn't believe Min Soo at first.But later he also started believing her.As she was blind,she couldn't be able to clear some of the questions.When a offer was made to public regarding to find the car spotted in the accident,a young lad came up to the Police and he told things which were not right with Min Soo's speculations.Whom should the authorities believe?Also where will they reach following this hit and run case?The rest lies with the movie.

This may not be the best as some of the Korean movies.But surely this movie is a watchable Taking off some scenes which we may not find believable.This flick had the usual lazy police officers and the villain was shown from the start..But its a nice suggestion for Korean thriller movie lovers.I rate it as a 6/10 for the movie.
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9/10
Superb - One of the most Uniquely Ambitious Thrillers I've seen in years
totalovrdose7 March 2015
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.
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6/10
Good enough
PennyReviews12 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Blind is a good thriller, with enough action to keep you entertained. However, one thing that I really thought this movie was lacking and it would had made it better was the background story on the killer. I mean,why was the killer abducted the women and killed them? How many women had been his victims? You could get that he had superiority issues and that he hated women, but still what triggered his serial killings? Other than that, it was an "enough" movie: enough action, enough mystery, enough thriller and enough horror to make it interesting. The performances were really good and realistic, especially the leading lady's, as she created sympathy and you couldn't help but feel sorry for her and understand her (that was helped by the good background story that was revealed gradually). So, for Blind, 6 out of 10.
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3/10
Lacks originality and has wasted elements
KineticSeoul28 July 2012
Just about everything about this movie seem formulaic and fake. A lot of people seem to like the actress Kim Ha-neul but she never really stood out to be. She ain't a bad actress but she pretty much plays the exact same character in every movie. But she plays a blind character well so she isn't distracting or anything like that in this. Although when it comes to her acting it seems to fit more for Korean dramas than movies. The acting from most of the cast was just awful and comedic in a negative way. This one just really lacked originality and most of it is predictable. A woman being blind and is running away from a serial should be frightening because of how defenseless she is. But it isn't frightening cause it's all so fake looking when it comes to all the characters emotions, it just looks forced. The cinematography is good for a Asian movie. They did however made a psychotic sexual predator killer really despicable, even if that isn't much of a difficult task. This tries to blend a bit of comedy into this thriller but it just doesn't blend very well. Mainly because the comedic elements are not funny with character just exaggerating everything. Didn't feel invested in this flick because the development was just so darn weak with the characters. None of them stood out and the script is weak as well, it felt like watching a rehash. This movie probably did alright in Korea because of the cast Kim Ha-neul for one and Yoo Seung-ho. Yoo Seung-ho didn't mean much for this movie to me despite some fan girls he has. I never critic a actor depending on how popular that actor might be with female audiences. But I just find him annoying to watch in every movie and drama he is in. He usually plays a bratty annoying character that is always cocky for no apparent reason. So this has no tension nothing that makes this thriller stand out from the others. This movie just comes off so darn cheesy it gets rid of everything it tries to accomplish. If your blind your other senses increase and this movie did a good job of doing that though although I don't know how realistic it is. The heroes in this movie is just regular bystanders that has no intentions of being heroic and audiences will get why watching this movie.

3.5/10
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6/10
Too many flaws.
XueHuaBingYu15 May 2019
I rarely watch Korean films as I find it quite boring. But sometimes, I watch. Most of the films I watch is at the normal state, not that good and not that bad. Blind is one of them.

The title said it all. Blind is based on a girl who lost her sight. The story is quite good. But there are some flaws. I think a lot of Chinese people love it, so, they decided to do a remake in Chinese version. The remake film is "The Witness". Lu Han and Yang Mi are in leading roles. The director is the same.

Although the plot is interesting, but there are a lot of flaws. So, as for me, it's the only original film which is not good as remake. But still, it's enjoyable.

All in all, because of those flaws, the film quality is not good as expected. But still, it's watchable.
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8/10
Another great Korean movie to watch!
zachary-6869021 June 2019
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.
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8/10
A suspenseful thriller that will keep you on a knife-edge!
nidhunmoviebuff19 June 2021
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.
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9/10
A really intriguing and exciting thriller
charafff27 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Once again I'm very impressed by Korean producers and actors. The plot was amazing and didn't let me rest even for a minute. The story is touching and the acting is very good. I didn't cry this much at the end as I cried when the dog was killed. That was not fun :).
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3/10
Not as engaging as other Korean numbers of the same genre
Tallal1412 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Gin su identified the serial killer in the video call in train where he could record it/take screen shot for the police. It would have helped in catching the killer earlier.
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5/10
Blind thriller
tenshi_ippikiookami25 December 2015
"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.
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