LFF 2014 - A Hard Day

If there is one film that couldn't have been categorised more perfectly in the 'Thrill' section at his year's London Film Festival it's Kim Seong-Hun's terrific A Hard Day. Propelling us at breakneck speed from the get-go, this is Korean cinema hitting it's famed heights, with frame-by-frame brilliance thrusting us into a 24-hour scenario where things just don't feel like they are going to get any better.

For detective Ko Gun-su (Lee Sun-kyun) a drive back to the station when he is called away from the mourning of his mother turns into a living nightmare as he is involved in a hit-and-run incident. With his car baring evidence of the event, Ko decides to brave the brunt of the consequences and takes the body in the boot of his car to be dealt with against the better judgement of the law.

Ko's day is about to get a lot worse; with the body only a small chunk of the problems he will encounter. With his team being investigated for corruption, the nightmare of the day only escalates when the dangerous and threatening cop Park Chang-min (Cho Jin-woong) makes his presence felt.
Breathlessly shifting us into a pacy and utterly enthralling tale of crime, tension and explosive events, director Kim Seong-Hun's second directorial outing is a Korean delight that once again propels the credentials of Eastern cinema. Intent on giving the audience exactly what they pay for in terms of a true down-to-the-bones thriller, the director fuses together a wonderful blend of well-placed humour and a distinct appreciation of all things dramatic as we twist and turn our way through a compelling 24-hour window that keeps us guessing to the very end.

Presenting its style succinctly, the film blissfully goes through the paces as our story surrounding Sun-kyun's main character unfolds, turning very quickly into a panic-inducing day of life-changing proportions. In delivering the tone and aggressive nature, the film is not only the grand work of a director but also revels in the performances of its two leading components.

Both Sun-kyun and Jin-woong are devilish in their portrayals of two diverse individuals working for the same corrupt police force. One seemingly innocent in his job, caught up in the middle of an event that brings out the worst in him, yet still has us backing him all the way, the other a sly, charasmatic and ultimately fiendish force not to be messed with.

From the unnerving phone calls slowly peeling back the layers, to the eventual face-to-face confrontations that turn to much more than verbal sparring, this is an opposing duo who simply lay the law down for how to serve up a delightful dish of bad-versus-good.

Laden with twists, biting hard with its compelling drama and throwing in some fiendish humour at the right moments, A Hard Day nails the thriller genre, grabbing the audience by the scruff of the neck and shoving them into the passenger seat of a wild ride like few others. Kim Seong-hun propels his name further into the Korean spotlight and possesses a massively reliable dream team in his leading duo. Fast, furious and utterly powerful.