Laikals
The greatest movie ever made..!
SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
Prashast Singh
Movie: A Hard Day (15)Rating: 5/5This is one of the most tightly scripted action thrillers from South Korea. No doubt why it won so much acclaim all over. The script is quite new and refreshing, and it makes for a perfect watch. In other words, the film is a perfect masterpiece because it easily manages to engage and absorb you in its atmosphere, and it's a film which is very easily likable. A HARD DAY is perfectly scripted, rather so much that you won't get deviated from watching the film, and if some interruption happens between watching it, you might even get angry and start shouting. It's one of those films which don't let you move. Even if you move, you will not feel good to leave it. That's why I finished it in just one viewing. Director Seong-hun Kim has done a marvellous job as he handles both the direction as well as writing departments in a very professional manner. He has done his best in telling the story with full force, and has provided plenty of entertaining elements to keep you engrossed. Sun-Kyun Lee is an actor to watch out for. His performance creates a strong impact and after a point it doesn't seem he's acting at all. It's a natural act by him. Another round of applause to Cho Jin-woong: he's menacing at times and his performance is quite effective. Same for the rest of the cast.The thrills are quite chilling and the action, superb. The cinematography is excellent in many shots, especially the action scenes. The background score is quite pulsating and increases the excitement from time to time. That said, A HARD DAY is a mindblowing action thriller which has plenty of surprises to offer to viewers, especially those expecting just another action or thriller film. It's something you won't have seen before, and this film undoubtedly increases the respect for South Korean cinema in my eyes.
Lee Eisenberg
"Kkeutkkaji ganda" ("A Hard Day" in English) is the first Kim Seong-hun movie that I've seen. What a shocker. I've heard some about rampant corruption in South Korea, but if this movie is any indication, things can get REALLY ugly. The main character is Ko, a crooked detective who accidentally kills someone while driving drunk. But after he covers up the killing, he finds out that there was more to this man than he realized, and that someone might have seen him.The setting is not identified, as if to say that this could be the sort of thing that happens everywhere in the country. Ko is already the venal type, but once he covers up the manslaughter, he finds himself surrounded by some of the sleaziest elements in society. Almost every scene contains a surprise, especially towards the end. My favorite scenes were in the funeral home, and by the lake. But every scene has something in store.The movie got screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival at the Director's Fortnight sidebar. I think that it should've won something. It's one of the cleverest movies that I've seen. Definitely see it.PS: The Korean title translates to "Take It to the End".
Jithin Jo Francis
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.
reev0
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.