Unlocked Movie
Since its inception, technology has been a helping hand in our lives. With its subsequent development, it opened up a number of possibilities that were not always pleasant. One of these unpleasant aspects is cyber security intrusion. Unlocked, written and directed by Kim Tae-joon, is a Korean crime mystery thriller revolving around the same aspect.
The film tells the story of a young girl whose life is turned upside down when she suddenly loses her phone. A man catches her and makes her life hell. This one accidental loss has a serious impact on his personal and professional life.
If this premise sounds interesting to you and you want to know what happens in the movie, keep reading. But remember, there are spoilers ahead!
Unlocked (2023) Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis
Who steals Na Mi’s phone?
Na Mi (Woo-hee Chun) has a thriving social life on social media accounts. He works as a photographer and enjoys his life in both real and virtual worlds. One night, while returning home on the bus, he accidentally drops his phone. Soon a boy picks her up and takes her with him. But he is so drunk that he does not remember this incident.
The next morning, his friend finds him in the same drunken state. Before meeting him, a girl warned him about finding Na Mi’s phone the day before. After Na Mi wakes up, she calls this girl to pick her up. He asks her to bring him to the cafe, where he helps his father. Little did she know that the girl with the phone was actually a boy playing a recording to convince her.
Later, Na Mi is called by this girl at the cafe that Na Mi’s phone is broken and she sent it for repair. Based on the address she received, Na Mi arrives at a dilapidated building to enter a mobile repair shop. She meets this guy who wears a face mask and a hat to hide his identity. He gives Na Mi a form to fill out to get her phone back. It also includes his mobile security password.
During the repair work, this man, whom we know as Jun Yeong (Si-wan Yim), adds spyware to Na Mi’s phone. He can always see her after she takes him back. Thus, she follows his every move, unaware of the spying. Through her phone’s camera, she taps into his daily routine – where he goes, who he meets, where he works. He also has access to all her chats and texts. Late at night, as she drifts off to sleep, he notes a few additional details from her life that are incredibly personal.
Later, Na Mi notices a sudden update on her anonymous account. A photo of him with a colleague who insulted his colleagues was published at night. While this destroys his professional life, it also reveals Na Mi as the one controlling it. Right after receiving a big promotion, he is fired for this incident.
Meanwhile, Jun Yeong’s father, police detective Ji Man (Kim Hee-won), comes across a gruesome murder case. The bodies of the victims are left with no way to trace the fingerprints and identity of the culprit. However, Ji Man sees that these bodies are buried near the plum tree he planted with his son. Sensing his son’s possible connection to the murder, he tracks down his son’s location through text messages with his wife.
After arriving there, Ji-Man finds enough evidence to implicate his son in the murders. So he stays nearby to gather video evidence of Jun Yeong’s involvement in the crime. But he senses his father’s presence and decides to sell him and scare him. Jun Yeong leaves her apartment and continues to send Ji Man pictures of her clicked from afar. Although these photos discredit the detective, Jun Yeong uses the time to destroy the evidence in his apartment to escape.
Meanwhile, he continues to appear in Na Mi’s life in one way or another. He comes to her cafe and charms her by asking for the plum juice that her father took off the menu. She later meets him again under the pretext of buying a music CD from him and shares his business card with him during the transaction. Through this interaction, she identifies herself to avoid suspecting him as a creepy stalker.
Later, Jun Yeong meets Na Mi to help her find out who hacked her phone. He gives a detailed explanation of how the spy program works, and the gullible Na Mi believes him without question. He also suspects her as the only possible friend. While he is under her spell, his father finds his behavior strange and warns him about it. But he doesn’t pay much attention to her concerns.
Meanwhile, Ji Man and his assistant go to Jun Yeong’s mobile repair shop to investigate. They find the store in a terrible state, with papers and devices scattered all over the room. At that time, Jun Yeong came there to fix his phone because he broke it out of anger. They share the details of the case and join hands to find Jun Yeong.
Unlocked (2023) ‘Netflix’ Movie Ending Explained
Who is the terrible killer? What does it have to do with past crimes?
After keeping Na Mi locked up with her father, Jun Yeong returns to the living room and finds a note that reads ‘No texts, only calls’. He suspects the police are onto him and looks outside to confirm his suspicion. Soon, Ji-Man enters the house with his friend and begins to beat the terrible criminal. However, he still cannot recognize this person as his son. But the culprit points out that it is Jun Yeong.