A Hard Day

Description

In this nerve-shattering thriller, a homicide detective makes a series of increasingly bad decisions in a short period of time. Beginning his evening on a tragic note with the funeral of his mother, Ko Gun-soo (played by Hong Sang-soo regular Lee Sun-kyun) is soon called back to the station by his team to head off an internal affairs investigator. Speeding back to the office, he hits a man on a dark highway and stashes the body in the trunk. This unwise decision will not be the last he makes as his life goes from lousy to nightmarish. Factoring into his increasingly dire circumstances are accusations of criminal racketeering, a stalker who could prove to be a damaging witness to Ko and a diabolical nemesis who takes the film to a suspenseful zenith. Not to mention the matter of how to get rid of the body! Korean action and horror movies are known for over-the-top gore; A Hard Day, however, wisely uses the inherent tension of the protagonist’s predicament to pin viewers to the edge of their seats. Lee brings a perfect intensity, and a surprising amount of humor, to the lead role while director Kim masterfully employs both tight close-ups of combat and superlative use of high-angle shots for the magnificent chase sequences. —Rod Armstrong

Trailer

Film Details