Hard Hit (2021) Review

“Hard Hit” Theatrical Poster

Director: Kim Chang-Ju
Cast: Jo Woo-Jin, Lee Jae-In, Jin Kyung, Kim Ji-Ho, Jun Suk-Ho, Ji Chang-Wook, Haerry Kim
Running Time: 94 min.

By Henry McKeand

The best Korean thrillers are successful because they push traditional genre elements to new extremes, creating violent psychodramas that value intensity above all else. These films often have runtimes of at least two hours, but there’s almost zero room for Hollywood sentimentality or warmed-over narrative conventions. 

Not only does last year’s Hard Hit, written and directed by Kim Chang-ju, boast a relatively short runtime of 94 minutes, but it also embraces thriller cliches at an almost alarming rate. There are a few bold twists and an underlying message about class divides, but this is a stripped-down suspense film above all else. At best, Chang-ju’s efficient and unpretentious approach is a breath of fresh air. At worst, it feels like a two-dimensional riff on a now-familiar thriller setup: a claustrophobic game of cat and (trapped) mouse. 

The film tells the story of Seong-gyu (Jo Woo-jin), a successful bank manager who is taking his children to school when he receives a call from an unknown number. The man on the other line tells Seong-gyu that there are pressure-sensitive bombs under the seats that will blow if anyone tries to leave the car. The caller wants money, and it becomes clear that he’ll do whatever it takes to get it. This is all established within the first 15 minutes, and the rest of the film is essentially one long set piece that forces Seong-gyu to race through Busan trying to save his family. In the process, he must also come to terms with his own greed and the sins of his past.

The film is based on Retribution, a 2015 Spanish thriller directed by Dani de la Torre, but that’s not the only film it’s indebted to. The plot calls to mind a handful of other thrillers, but the two that loom largest are Joel Schumacher’s Phone Booth and Steven Knight’s Locke. Both films rely on a confined space and a series of phone calls to create tension, and they both feature protagonists who must reckon with their own selfishness during a crisis. There are also elements of Kim Seong-hun’s relentless A Hard Day, which was edited by Chang-ju and centers around a protagonist being similarly tormented by a mysterious caller.

Hard Hit doesn’t quite have the dramatic heft of Locke or the inventive, darkly comic problem-solving of A Hard Day, but Chang-ju has nonetheless crafted a fun thriller that understands what it takes to maintain a sense of “ticking clock” dread. The script ensures that Seong-gyu always has several punishing obstacles to overcome, and his distress is rendered palpably.

The narrative efficiency is the film’s strongest point. The suspense begins almost immediately, and the pace is so rapid that viewers won’t think about the more derivative plot elements. Chang-ju knows that his job is to excite audiences, and so there are very few scenes that aren’t in service of ramping up the stakes.

However, it falls short of being a perfectly calibrated genre exercise. It’s hard to fault such a straightforward film for being too ambitious, but there is a subplot involving the police that sometimes distracts from the family drama of Seong-gyu’s dilemma. Momentum is lost whenever Chang-ju cuts away from the car, and while the scenes involving the police are engaging, they don’t feel as urgent as the sequences focused solely on Seong-gyu.

At times, Chang-ju’s direction also undermines the claustrophobia inherent to the film’s premise. Seong-gyu is struggling to make sense of the bigger picture from the confines of his car, but there are frequent aerial shots of Busan that feel like cheap stock footage. The decision to give viewers this bird’s eye view is at odds with the ground-level story, and it keeps the audience at a safe distance from the drama. Chang-ju may understand the rhythm of a polished set piece, but the chase scenes would be better suited for a fun action movie than the dread-inducing thriller promised by the film’s logline. This isn’t helped by the generic score, which sounds like it could have been copied from a million other direct-to-video films.

When it’s all said and done, Hard Hit is carried by its high-stakes plot and command performances by Jo Woo-jin and Lee Jae-in, who plays Seong-gyu’s daughter. It may do little to elevate its material, but that doesn’t stop it from being a lively popcorn flick that hits all the beats you’d expect. This makes it look tame compared to the best Korean thrillers, but it’s a short and satisfying burst of popcorn entertainment that’s perfect for lazy late-night viewing.

Henry McKeand’s Rating: 6/10