A Hard Day is a very good Korean film. And, if you like violent and occasionally brutal action films, then you might want to give this one a try. However, the film also has two knocks against it--the plot sure sounds an awful lot like I Know What You Did Last Summer and the film really lacks realism when it comes to one character--a guy who seems to be every bit as tough and indestructible as the Terminator...perhaps tougher!
When the film begins, Detective Go Geon-soo is having a horrible day. He's late for his mother's funeral and he's rushing about like a madman trying to get there. Unfortunately, when a dog jumps out in front of his car, he swerves and hits a man! The victim is obviously quite dead and Geon-soo makes a very fateful decision. Instead of reporting this accident, he rashly decides to stuff the body in his trunk. Later, at the funeral, he quickly concocts a plan--to stuff the body into the coffin with his mother! Soon, the coffin is buried and Geon-soo can finally relax...he's gotten away with killing a man. Right? Well, no. Soon, he begins receiving phone calls from an unidentified stranger who knows EXACTLY what happened and he demands that Geon-soo get the body back...or else.
The most surprising thing I noticed in the film was how the South Korean police were portrayed. Just about all of them are totally corrupt in the film--even more so than Geon-soo (who has been taking bribes as well as his involvement in the hit and run and disposing of the body)! I have no idea how accurate this portrayal is, but it sure makes you think twice about going to visit the country! Another thing that surprised me was that I liked the film. This is a surprise because I generally don't like action films. Normally, such a movie wouldn't interest me...but this one managed to. But, as I mentioned above, it is a bit derivative...though it certainly is not exactly like I Know What You Did Last Summer. The only real deficit I otherwise noticed was the big finale. While it was super-tense and exciting, it completely lacked realism. No one can take that much punishment and STILL be alive...yet one of the characters seems almost immune to anything Geon-soo can throw at him (literally). The bottom line is that the film is super-entertaining provided you don't think too much near this crazy ending.
When the film begins, Detective Go Geon-soo is having a horrible day. He's late for his mother's funeral and he's rushing about like a madman trying to get there. Unfortunately, when a dog jumps out in front of his car, he swerves and hits a man! The victim is obviously quite dead and Geon-soo makes a very fateful decision. Instead of reporting this accident, he rashly decides to stuff the body in his trunk. Later, at the funeral, he quickly concocts a plan--to stuff the body into the coffin with his mother! Soon, the coffin is buried and Geon-soo can finally relax...he's gotten away with killing a man. Right? Well, no. Soon, he begins receiving phone calls from an unidentified stranger who knows EXACTLY what happened and he demands that Geon-soo get the body back...or else.
The most surprising thing I noticed in the film was how the South Korean police were portrayed. Just about all of them are totally corrupt in the film--even more so than Geon-soo (who has been taking bribes as well as his involvement in the hit and run and disposing of the body)! I have no idea how accurate this portrayal is, but it sure makes you think twice about going to visit the country! Another thing that surprised me was that I liked the film. This is a surprise because I generally don't like action films. Normally, such a movie wouldn't interest me...but this one managed to. But, as I mentioned above, it is a bit derivative...though it certainly is not exactly like I Know What You Did Last Summer. The only real deficit I otherwise noticed was the big finale. While it was super-tense and exciting, it completely lacked realism. No one can take that much punishment and STILL be alive...yet one of the characters seems almost immune to anything Geon-soo can throw at him (literally). The bottom line is that the film is super-entertaining provided you don't think too much near this crazy ending.