12.12: The Day (2023) on Netflix
After President Park's assassination, martial law is declared. Chun Doo-gwang takes charge of the investigation into the killing, and Lee Tae-shin is appointed to the Capital Defense Command.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.5/105,189 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Late on October 26, 1979, word of President Park Chung-hee's assassination brings South Korea's senior officers and officials to Army Headquarters, where the prime minister announces the death and, as acting president, imposes martial law. General Jung Sang-ho is named martial law commander, and the inquiry into the killing goes to Chun Doo-gwang of the Defense Security Command. With the presidency empty and the government adrift, Chun uses the investigation to expand his influence and pushes officials aside. Jung, who objects to soldiers taking part in politics, puts Lee Tae-shin, a general of the same mind, in charge of the Capital Defense Command. Chun then gathers officers of the Hanahoe faction, among them Roh Tae-geon, and sets about removing Jung.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about 12.12: The Day (2023)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Kim Sung-su was a high school senior living in Hannam-dong, Seoul, when the December 12 coup took place; he heard a gunshot from the Army Chief of Staff's residence and tried to approach but soldiers blocked him. His unanswered curiosity about that night led him to make the film.
- The film's Korean audience was mostly viewers in their 20s and 30s rather than people in their 40s and 50s, and younger viewers started a heart rate challenge, checking their smartwatches during the film and posting screenshots of their stress or anger online.
- The film's popularity in Korea led to increased interest in other historical films, such as 5th Republic, which deals with the same December 12 coup.
- On a $17 million budget, 12.12: The Day took $97 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film of 2023 and the fourth-highest-grossing South Korean film of all time.
- Although it is based on the real December 12, 1979 coup, the film uses pseudonyms instead of the real people's names and fictionalizes some elements of the story.
