According to Nielsen Korea, the final episode of "The scarecrow" achieved a rating of 8.1%, topping the broadcast time slot on all channels, including public television. This achievement helps the film rank only behind "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" in the list of highest-rated films in ENA history.
The scarecrow" tells the 30-year investigation of a series of murders by police officer Kang Tae Joo (Park Hae Soo). During that process, he is forced to cooperate with prosecutor Cha Si Young (Lee Hee Joon) - the person he hates the most.
Set in 1988 to 2019, the film attracts attention thanks to its heavy atmosphere, psychological crime color and the way characters exploit the prolonged trauma instead of just focusing on the crime-solving element.
Korean media assessed that one of the biggest strengths of the film is acting. In which, Park Hae Soo was praised for showing Kang Tae Joo's struggle, obsession and feeling of helplessness in the journey to find the truth. Meanwhile, Lee Hee Joon attracted attention with the image of Cha Si Young with many contradictions and unpredictableness.
After the movie ended, Park Hae Soo shared that he was surprised when the work received a lot of affection despite being heavily colored. The actor said that he heard the most from the audience was the sentence: "Kang Tae Joo, try your best". Meanwhile, Lee Hee Joon admitted that he did not think a movie with a heavy theme like "Bù nhìn bóng đêm" would receive such a big response.
Notably, director Park Joon Woo said that part of the story in the film is inspired by real cases in Korea, including wrongful convictions and families of victims who have suffered prolonged injuries for many years. Instead of choosing a sensational or mere revenge exploitation direction, the work focuses on reflecting the feeling of loss, injustice and the wounds that cannot be closed of those left behind.
Director Park hopes "Bù nhìn bóng đêm" can become a source of comfort for those who have experienced similar injuries in real life. Meanwhile, screenwriter Lee Ji Hyun said that she does not expect the film to be remembered for too long, but hopes that audiences after watching it will still retain the emotions left behind instead of the heavyness of the cases.
Starting with a rating of 2.9% in the first episode and increasing to 8.1% in the last episode, "Bù nhìn bóng đêm" is considered one of the prominent crime works of Korean screens recently thanks to word-of-mouth effects and positive reviews after each episode aired.
