User reviews

I'm an avid South Korean movie watcher. It's getting to a point where I'm seeing a least 1 per week.

There's a reason for that, they're great movies, really great movies.

The funny twist that I see on many of these police movies is that the police corruption, including the main character is considered as a norm. There is no glorifying the main character as a hero, standing above the dirty sea untarnished. He is just as dirty as the rest.

Again, a similar plot lines that runs through here is the main character is not the most likable character. Also it's more a story on a man who just happens to be a police officer rather than a police story.

These are things that have popped up quite a few times in other South Korean thrillers I've seen and it still has not gone stale.

The quirky, dirty, off beat, stylized, South Korean action movie is incredibly refreshing when placed up against the rest of the world.

This is a great movie, doesn't get into my top ten of South Korean movies but it's getting harder and harder to get into that top 10. With all the fantastic movies out there a great movie doesn't make the cut.

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!!!

I love 'domino tiles' movies when one mistake leads to a bigger one and the main character tries to get hold of the situation but he just worsens it and continues making even bigger and graver mistakes. This movie is pretty much like that. The main guy didn't want to face the consequences of his fault so everything goes downhill. There were very unexpected turns and scenes where you would have thought, I know what happens next but then something very different occurred. It's a very entertaining movie, worth watching.

Whoa! what a thrill efffin ride!! this was my first reaction after watching the movie!!i gave it a standing ovation.It has been a long long time since a movie captured my attention from beginning to end,without even a single dull moment in its running time of over 90 minutes. I was so looking forward to see this one,and boy did it mesmerize me!and how!!

The movie has a dark undertone to its mischievous and reckless plot.Here we have a tense,gritty protagonist Lee Sun-kyun running through several escalating situations on an unfortunate day leading to a face off with a manic antagonist.There is a swift swap between the antihero-hero nature of the protagonist.I don't want to give away the plot but i will give you this,the plot is just exploding with an unrelenting exuberance that does not stop until the end credits start rolling.There is a never ending sense of what happens next.This relentless thriller captivates your attention from the opening shots,and never lets go.Special credits to the lead actors for they have done a neat job playing the characters straight,the only way to play it for a gripping plot such as this.Sometimes the movie feels like a highly stylized comedy of errors with some ingeniously crafted action sequences.

All in all 'a hard day' is a well shot genuine thriller disguised as a crime drama with underlying dark humour.It has all the scope of becoming a future cult classic.I would be surprised if it didn't.You would not be disappointed even if you watched with high expectations.

9/10.Cheers.

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.

This is one of those very rare films where literally every second is interesting. Captivating from the opening scene, the film grabs you and never lets go. So much happened within the first twenty minutes of the film, you can't help but root for our hero, Ko Gun-Soo, excellently played by Sun-kyun Lee. I rooted for this poor character every step of the way!

The plot thickened by the minute, but hey, this is one of those films where you can't say too much in order not to spoil it. This is one you simply have to see. The film becomes more thrilling and suspenseful as it progresses and some of the action and fighting scenes are truly brilliant. What an absolute treat! Bloody hell, this was awesome!!

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.

Director Kim Seong-hoon's sophomore film A Hard Day arrives 8 years after his directorial debut, How The Lack Of Love Affects Two Men was released back in 2006.

Now, this film is a nerve racking roller-coaster ride, so the less you know going in the better. I shall attempt to introduce this film in one sentence: A comedy-action-thriller about the chaos that ensues after a detective is involved in a hit and run.

The film smoothly and skillfully balances the dark comedy, action and thriller elements, giving us ingenious set pieces (a particularly memorable one involving a toy soldier...) and also well-paced and effective suspense. The film does not waste a shot, let alone a scene to make audiences laugh, squirm and be intrigued through it's twists and turns. It's tightly-wound from beginning to end and will surely be one of the best times you'll have in the cinema (or in your home) this year.

Lee Seon-gyun (who you may recognize from Hong Sang-soo's films such as Nobody's Daughter Haewon) plays the lead role of detective Ko, a divorced father of a little girl who may not be the most ethical of cops. Lee carries the film, delivering a charismatic and humorous performance that makes us root for his character when he is faced with tough situations and pitted against Cho Jin-Woong's formidable protagonist. Kudos to Cho for interestingly pulling off a role that could have easily been bland.

This film was also filmed beautifully. It's gorgeous to look at, thanks to cinematographer Kim Tae-Sung, who gives us dynamic and impressive shots (one that immediately comes to mind is an overhead shot during a chase).

It's refreshing to see a South Korean film that's playful and never stops being fun, after the recent slew of superb but disturbing, dark thrillers such as I Saw The Devil, New World and The Man From Nowhere. Don't be fooled, this film has its dark moments. Most importantly, it holds one of the quintessential elements of movies: taking audiences on a ride that endlessly intrigues and keep them wanting more, having no clue where the next moment will take them.

A HARD DAY is another electric thriller from those top film-makers in South Korea, who know how to pack more laughs, action, and genuine suspense-filled set-pieces into their films than many a Hollywood rival. A HARD DAY tells a small-scale story about a cop on the edge; investigated by Internal Affairs for corruption, he accidentally hits and kills a pedestrian while out driving one night and must cover up the crime before he's discovered.

This premise is just the set-up for a film that comes off as a string of sometimes awesome set-pieces. The long sequence in the room with the coffin is a masterwork of tension, and if the rest of the movie can't quite equal that high, then it does a very good job nonetheless. A HARD DAY has everything you'd want from a thriller: dark laughs, shock scenes, violence, and some plot twists you definitely won't see coming. I particularly enjoyed the endless climax, which keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you breathless afterwards. Check it out!

The twists and turns of the story are matched by the conflict of the plots in place, with a relaxed and moderate rhythm. Traveling clouds and moving water tell the story of small fish eating big fish. Deeply speaking, what is the end of corruption and how to ensure that justice is not tempted and polluted by evil?

Undoubtedly one of the best crime & exciting movie I've seen in a while. Among English, spanish, tamil movies I normally watch, as a sri lankan. Lots of people have commented their feelings but for me, who is a huge fan of dark comedies & also mind blowing films, this was a gem in both segments as well.

Another Aspect is From The very first second the film starts to the very end of the film, you literally just can't take your eyes off. It keeps your Interest right from the word go & every second we are waiting to see what happens next. I Haven't experienced that in many other so called best films of all time. I understand that - but in this film, it was a special characteristic.

I Normally don't give films 10 out of 10, because nothing's perfect on this world, but still.... This movie was as entertaining as I would have expected to be. I'm defiantly Admire Korean films now.

I really wanted to like A Hard Day, just like I tried my hardest to like the main character, detective Go Geon-soo who ruined the film completely. Unfortunately he's a very unlikeable character, who is badly acted. Go Geon-soo is not only dishonest and dodgy, but also spineless. A continuous coward throughout the film. I just couldn't believe once that he was a homicide detective for over 10 years. Really disappointing,

Hanzo

I don't remember seeing another Korean movie recently. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if I realize later that this is my first one.

I'm European and my initial reaction, the first couple of minutes, was a quiet laughter because the language sounded funny. But soon after that the impossible plot and situations starting to unfold...

This is about a corrupted Korean homicide detective who drives his car on his way to attend his mother's funeral. What happens during his ride to the funeral home might happen to anyone, but his actions after the fact escalate in a way that is both funny and tragic. The plot thickens and he finds himself in a roller-coaster of crime, bad luck and bad decisions. The conclusion is satisfying though!

The direction is very very good. Adds to the thrilling sensation that many of the scenes have, but also has a definite black sense of humor. The main actor gives an exaggerate performance but maybe that's what this part needed.

Overall: If you come across it, watch it.

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.

A hard day indeed as the international title of the movie goes. One of the best movies I had the pleasure to watch in 2014. If you like you dark humor that is not afraid to go places and a story that twists and turns and gives the viewer (and the main character) new challenges to deal with every other 5 minutes, you're in for a treat.

You may be able to spot a couple of things, but in general this is really a refreshing experience with many action sequences combining "horror" and comedy (that's everyday horror, as in what can go wrong and so forth). A great mixture that allows for set pieces that are original and a genuine funny viewing experience for the audience. I can highly recommend this

A Hard Day is very entertaining and worth a watch if you like South Korea cinema. The story have alot of interesting and unique characters and a awesome led performance in Lee Sun-kyun, the script is very sharp and the direction is great but where it all falls down to me is the last 20 minutes (after the river standoff) of the movie is so dumb and don't make any sense to me and that's unfortunate to me because the movie was so good up to that point.

Guys, the Koreans definitely know how to make films that leave us mesmerized, we even hold our breath so as not to disturb the concentration and not affect the evil adventures of the protagonist, fun, absurd, charming, tense, it was several difficult days, I loved the tightness that the protagonist gone, no matter how much we know about his mistakes, we change them to make it work, but only so that he can screw himself with mastery in the end. And what a development, intelligent, wonderful script...

It is ranked among the top Korean thrillers of this decade, both critically and commercially.

Because of its screenplay's breakneck pace, unpredictable twists and believable and far from likeable characters, with broad strokes of grey. And also because of the too notch acting by the two leads and the director's dark sense of humor.

There is a small blip in believability, around the end, which left me slightly less impressed.

Would recommend this to all thriller junkies. Would leave your pulse pounding for most of its runtime and thoroughly entertained.

Homicide Detective Ko Gun-soo (Lee Sun-Kyun) of the Seoul Police Department is having a very difficult day: not only is he needed to attend the funeral of his mother, but his department is being raided by Internal Affairs and he has some material that needs to disappear before they find it. Leaving the funeral, he drives as fast as he can, but is distracted by having to swerve to avoid hitting a dog; turning his eyes back to the road, he's just in time to see the front of his car strike a human being instead. Worse, the man is dead, and Ko panics, deciding to hide the corpse in the trunk of his car while he deals with the other pressing matters of the moment. But then his plans go awry....

The above is just the set-up of this very fast-paced, very adrenaline-filled film, and I'm not giving anything away that doesn't happen in the first few minutes. There are many twists and turns to the plot, and numerous moments where if you look away for just a minute, you'll miss something vital, so it's important to pay attention. And worth it, too, as the film will keep you on the edge of your seat with tension and sometimes almost falling off the edge of your seat with laughter (because, yes, there are some very funny moments too), and the surprises and twists keep coming literally to the very last frame of the film. The film won a lot of awards at various festivals and it's easy to see why - it's fast, it's smart and it's full of action. Highly recommended!

This is thrilling, thoughtful, wellmade & acted, risky filmaking that throws everything but the kitchen sink at the protagonist. This is masterful work with only one loose end, what happened to the dog?

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.

It's a movie full of twists and suspense. A Hard Day ends up occupying the same mix of action and humor