“Harbin” Theatrical Poster
Director: Woo Min-Ho
Cast: Hyun-Bin, Park Jeong-Min, Jo Woo-Jin, Jeon Yeo-Bin, Lee Dong-Wook, Park Hoon, Yoo Jae-Myung, Lily Franky, Kim Ji-Oh, Lee Tae-Hyeong, Ahn Se-Ho
Running Time: 114 min.
By Paul Bramhall
There’s been no shortage of action tinged spy thrillers set during Japan’s colonisation of Korea in the early 20th century, with productions like Assassination, The Age of Shadows, and Phantom being superlative examples of the genre, but few have been based on a true story. With 2024’s Harbin director Woo Min-ho looks to change that, opting to tell the story of An Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who, at age 30 in the October of 1909, assassinated Japanese politician Ito Hirobumi upon his arrival at Harbin station. Hirobumi had been meeting with his Russian counterparts to discuss who should control Korea, and became a key figure in driving the annexation of the country to fall under Japanese rule. Jung-geun’s actions see him remembered as a martyr for independence in his home country (both in the South and the North), a fact which has seen his story adapted for the screen several times over the years.
The first time was in 1946 with The Chronicle of An Jung-geun, and in 1959 there was King Gojong and Martyr An Jung-geun, which was followed by An Jung-geun, the Patriot in 1972. While the remainder of the 20th century took a break from re-telling his story, in the 21st century he’d return in 2004’s Thomas An Jung-geun (in which he was played by Yu Oh-seong from Friend), and most recently he was portrayed by musical actor Jung Sung-hwa in 2022’s musical adaptation Hero. Thankfully the fact that Hero was a musical helps to set Harbin apart, otherwise it’d be a valid question to ask if we really needed 2 adaptations of the same story in 2 years, with Min-ho opting to focus his version on the days leading up to the assassination.
Adapted from author Kim Hoon’s 2022 novel of the same name, for the big screen version of Harbin it’s Hyun Bin (The Point Men, Rampant) who steps into the shoes of An Jung-geun, arguably offering up the most layered role in his filmography to date. Whatever the facts are of Jung-geun’s life, onscreen the way they’re translated into cinematic language stumbles somewhat awkwardly during the opening. Ambushing a Japanese army camp, a bloody battle erupts with gory beheadings and messy stabbings, a battle which the Korean independence fighters win through pure grit and determination. Rounding up anyone who’s left alive, amongst them is a Japanese general played by Park Hoon (Midnight, Golden Slumber), who Bin takes the decision to let go since he has a wife and child, despite the objections from his colleagues.
Has there been any example in Korean cinema during the last 20 years set in the same period when the Japanese army aren’t portrayed as a bunch of merciless killers willing to murder any Korean they come across? I can’t think of one, so when Bin goes to town alone to get some supplies, and upon his return finds his whole team slaughtered and dismembered by the very general he thought would be a good idea to let go, the impression is more one of complete idiocy than of honour and integrity. Whether the scene works better for local audiences more familiar with An Jung-geun, and who may take it as the attempt to portray his Catholic beliefs that it probably is, I can’t say, however taken on face value the scenario makes Bin’s portrayal one that feels hard to empathise with.
The avoidable loss of life does light a fire in him though to seek revenge, taking the decision to assassinate Ito Hirobumi, the man responsible for driving the discussion on Korea falling under Japanese rule. While Min-ho cast Park Hoon as the Japanese general, interestingly for Hirobumi he’s opted to cast a Japanese actor, with Lily Franky (Bad City, As the Gods Will) bringing a sense of gravitas to the role. It’s the planning and execution of the attempt to kill Franky that serves as the narrative thrust for Harbin, with Bin collaborating with his comrades played by the always welcome Park Jung-min (Uprising, Smugglers), Jo Woo-jin (Alienoid, Kingmaker), and Jeon Yeo-been (Cobweb, Dark Nuns).
As a director Woo Min-ho is something of an enigma, as I tend to find his movies either fall into the category of modern classic (A Man Standing Next, Inside Men), or complete trash (The Drug King, Man of Vendetta), with very little middle ground. Harbin feels like the movie that changes that, with it being far from modern classic status, but equally far from being complete trash. Its biggest crime is during the first hour of it’s almost 2 hour runtime, which comes across as dull and uninspiring. Ladened with what feels like endless scenes of exposition and a sluggish pace (characters frequently pause when conversing, although it’s far too early to have established any real stakes, so it usually just feels like dead air), rather than gradually putting the tension on a slow simmer, it just feels slow.
There’s also an inescapable feeling that Hyun Bin doesn’t quite have the gravitas to pull off the role. While he’s been acting for over 20 years, few would argue that in the majority of his roles it’s his good looks that play a key part in why he’s cast. That’s not necessarily a criticism, with his roles in lighter fare like Confidential Assignment and its sequel being a good fit, however here I couldn’t help but think how much better it could have been if the roles were re-cast. Park Jung-min steps into the shoes of An Jung-geun. Jo Woo-jin steps into the role that Park Jung-min plays, and Hyun Bin steps into Jo Woo-jin’s role. Had the roles been switched around that way I’m convinced Harbin would carry a greater emotional weight to it than it does with its existing casting, and would have offered Bin a solid opportunity to play against type.
Thankfully things pick up in the 2nd half with the realisation that the group may have a spy in the ranks, effectively turning Harbin from a lifeless talkathon into a spy thriller (even if it’d be a stretch to call it a taut one), which is offset by Park Hoon’s desire to find Hyun Bin and kill him for the embarrassment of letting him go when he’d been captured. While an earlier scene may make the spy in the ranks slightly obvious for the seasoned viewer, Min-ho does enough to maintain an air of mild intrigue, with the small window of opportunity they’ll have to assassinate Franky serving as an effective ticking clock plot device.
Korean cinema remains unique in its willingness to adapt events that audiences will know have a relatively nihilistic outcome, with the likes of 12.12: The Day and The Land of Happiness offering up similar endings that heralded the dawn of darker periods in Korean history. While the ending of Harbin may seem like a victorious one for audiences unfamiliar with Korean history, local audiences will likely be aware that Hirobumi’s assassination was seen as one of the key factors that led to Japan accelerating its ambition to annex Korea. It was successful in doing so less than a year later in 1910, leading to Korea becoming a colony of Japan through to the end of World War II in 1945. Still, considering how much history was attempted to be re-written during that period, every small victory feels rightfully celebrated, and it’s understandable how An Jung-geun’s story continues to be told for new generations.
Unfortunately Min-ho’s adaptation of the events during that fateful week in October 1909 just isn’t that compelling, and Hyun Bin’s portrayal comes across as too one dimensional to be invested in or even care that much about. Harbin coasts along with some gorgeous cinematography, and like in Cobweb we even get a gratuitous cameo from Jung Woo-sung (giving us a taste of what his character from Musa would look like 20 years later if he’d discovered booze), however neither are enough to fill in for the fundamental gaps that exist in Min-ho’s latest. Thankfully when it comes to An Jung-geun there’s no shortage of other adaptions to choose from, and while they may not be as sleek as Harbin, they’re definitely far more engaging.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 5/10
