A detective becomes the victim of blackmail in A Hard Day. On his way to his mother’s funeral, Detective Ko Gun-soo (Sun-kyun Lee) accidentally runs over an individual in the middle of the road. Detective Ko tries to cover up this hit-and-run and, right when it appears that he has succeeded, he receives a call from a mysterious witness, who proceeds to blackmail Ko. With his career on the line, Detective Ko enters into a cat and mouse game with this caller, which quickly goes from bad to worse.
A Hard Day is a darkly humorous South Korean crime thriller about a detective, who finds himself in a hole that he gets progressively gets deeper into. At first, it seems like Detective Ko only has to deal with the accidental hit-and-run and he comes up with a plan to hide the body in his mother’s casket. However, it turns out that there was a lot more to the body than Ko initially believed and he finds himself the victim of blackmail from someone who wants the body back at all costs.
While the plot of A Hard Day can seem as somewhat conventional for a crime thriller, the film’s execution, which includes a heavy dose of dark humour, results in a very entertaining watch. Detective Ko is constantly panicking that this hit-and-run will be found out, which makes him willing to do just about anything to make it go away. Altogether, A Hard Day ends up being a quite entertaining South Korean crime thriller.
★ ★ ★ ★ | LIKED IT
Screenings:
- Mon, Aug 3, 12:30 PM – J.A. De Seve Theatre