A Hard Day

Saw this on a DVD two years back. The film is pure entertainment from start to finish. It is nail bitingly tense n action packed. There is dark humour n good acting. One of the best part was the crispy editing which made the movie a fast paced thriller. Awesome direction too, as the movie is very captivating n has lots of twists and turns. The movi is about a detective who is having a very hard day. His mother has died, he killed a pedestrian while speeding his car, internal affairs is investigating him for corruption n they want to check his car in which he has hidden the dead body, his colleagues ain't happy with him, he's having trouble finding time to spend with his daughter after his divorce, and his sister is on his back. After clearing all the mess, he is engaged in a cat and mouse game of blackmail by somebody who claims that he saw the detective bumping off the pedestrian.

"Kkeutkkaji ganda" ("A Hard Day" in English) is the first Kim Seong-hun movie that I've seen. What a shocker. I've heard some about rampant corruption in South Korea, but if this movie is any indication, things can get REALLY ugly. The main character is Ko, a crooked detective who accidentally kills someone while driving drunk. But after he covers up the killing, he finds out that there was more to this man than he realized, and that someone might have seen him. The setting is not identified, as if to say that this could be the sort of thing that happens everywhere in the country. Ko is already the venal type, but once he covers up the manslaughter, he finds himself surrounded by some of the sleaziest elements in society. Almost every scene contains a surprise, especially towards the end. My favorite scenes were in the funeral home, and by the lake. But every scene has something in store. The movie got screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival at the Director's Fortnight sidebar. I think that it should've won something. It's one of the cleverest movies that I've seen. Definitely see it. PS: The Korean title translates to "Take It to the End".

A homicide detective is driving along his merry way when he stops for a dog in the road. He then continues to drive and runs over a pedestrian. After checking out the victim, he discovers that he is dead. Thus begins this roller coaster ride in what only be described as Murphy's law; or whatever can go wrong, it will. The cop ventures on to his mother's wake in a most unusual and different manner that you have ever seen. A cover up using a creative and strange tactic makes for a funny moment in between some fairly brutal violence. The Korean police are more corrupt than I expected; surpassing our legendary NYPD for bribe taking. The plot is standard crime material, and the acting above average, making for a 7/10.

Koreans sure know how to make a good thriller and a credible crime story. This time, the subject is a accidental hit and run case that comes to haunt the messed-up detective. Elements of the comedy are there, but drama and deviant segment is getting more serious as the script unwinds. The twist itself is pretty decent, but that can't be always said about the acting of the main male roles. Suspension is pretty strong and there are some unmemorable action sequences (i.e. crane and the car). All said and done, "A hard day" is one good and fun action-packed thriller for a Sunday afternoon.

When I saw the poster that presented one man helping a man hold a gun to his head in a "go ahead and do it" matter, I assumed I was getting more of an action movie. Instead, the movie was more of a suspense thriller, but I'm not complaining at all, the movie gave me just what I need. A police man involved in a hit and run has a hard day when he tries to cover it up especially after he discovers someone saw him do it. Well done film making from front to back. the movie is filled with plenty of conflict that makes for some good twist and turns. It's able to do the whole "just when you think it's over..." bit without it getting stale for the audience. You want to know what's going to happen at the very end, but I welcomed all the obstacles that came along, they really hold your interest. Especially the main antagonist who reminds me of Micheal Shannon's character in the movie Premium Rush, but a little more confident and darker. It was not the action movie that I though it was but it does not let down. Watching this will make your day.

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.

A great Entertaining South Korean film that is full of drama & thrills. Especially the portion of the film in which the hero tries to hide victim's dead body inside his mother's coffin. The background score and the cinematography adds to the plot. There were some thrilling and tense moments that will put you at the edge of your seat. With all the twists and surprises it is engaging throughout to watch. Excellent direction by 'Seong-hoon Kim'. The actor Sun-kyun Lee played the role of troubled cop superbly and with emotion. The story is easy to follow but the mood is not serious or heavy because every now and then there is always something funny that make you chuckle/surprise or awe. Overall worth-seeing film. Thumbs Up!!!

A Hard Day is essentially a thriller played for laughs, with a mildly corrupt but likable central character having the sort of day where bad things happen in threes. I can already see the Hollywood remake, perhaps with Colin Farrell playing it for laughs. None of this is meant as a criticism. The cinematography is fairly stylish with a few really fine moments, the pace is fairly brisk; Lee Seon-gyun does well to be sympathetic, capable and out of his depth all at once; and most importantly the film is funny enough, with one great scene involving a toy soldier that the rest of the picture can't quite live up to. Entertaining but disposable.

I usually do not like Korean movies – it is either too violent or too sensational with scripts that generally lacks originality - but this one is quite good: very interesting plot with lots of twists and suspense and humor. The movie centers around a divorced cop, Go Geon-soo (Lee Sun Gyun), on the day of his mom's funeral when he accidentally kills a pedestrian. Since he is in a hurry, he decides to put the corpse into her coffin and deal with it later. Strange calls starts to come into the police station and Go is threatened by a man who claims to be a witness of the accident. Meanwhile, Go is assigned to investigate this accident where pedestrian seems to be an important person in the police's wanted list. Just the packed elements within the case are interesting to follow. Then with all the twists and surprises it is engaging throughout to watch. Excellent directing with a brisk tempo which leads you deep the puzzle. The story is easy to follow but the mood is not serious or heavy because every now and then there is always something funny that make you chuckle/surprise or awe. I like the camera-work too which always leads the audience to see from a different angle. The framing is artistically pleasant, including a lengthened aerial shot of a chase scene up a flight of stairs and across traffic. I literally held my breath to watch that one. Corrupted police are everywhere but how the script presents the story is very interesting and it is kind of fun to put all the coincidences together to make a coherent story with some clever types of black humor. The actors are quite good too. The only complaint I have is perhaps too much violence in certain scene – though it is probably mild compared to other violent Korean movies I have seen. If you like witty laugh and suspense you would not be disappointed.