HARBIN: 3 STARS. “thriller that winds its way to an exciting climax.”
SYNOPSIS: Set in 1909, “Harbin,” a new South Korean spy drama now playing in theatres, sees Korean freedom fighters launch an attack in Harbin, China against the Japanese to gain their country’s independence.
CAST: Hyun-Bin, Park Jeong-Min, Jo Woo-Jin, Jeon Yeo-Bin, Yoo Jae-Myung, Park Hoon, Lee Dong-Wook, Yun Yeo-Won, Park Ki-Duk. Directed by Woo Min-Ho.
REVIEW: Beautifully shot, “Harbin” is a straightforward thriller that winds its way to an exciting climax.
Set four years after the Eulsa Treaty took away Korea’s diplomatic sovereignty, turning the country into a colony of Japan, the story begins with Lt. General Ahn Jung-geun (Hyun Bin) and his resistance fighters planning the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi and first Resident General of Korea.
Ahn’s risky mission to regain Korea’s statehood is made even more dangerous by a Japanese informant and the pursuit by the relentless Japanese Captain Mori Tatsuo (Park Hoon).
A story of colonial oppression and loyalty, “Harbin” excels when it is in action. An early battle scene between Korean militia squaring off against Japanese soldiers is particularly effective, capturing the up-close-and-personal violence in a vivid and visceral fashion. The slogan, War is Hell, could have been coined to describe this scene.
Another action set price, a fight in a train carriage, is claustrophobic, beautifully choreographed with thrilling action.
Director Woo Min-Ho skillfully stages these scenes for maximum impact. The brutality of those sequences, and others, underlines the mission’s risky nature in purely cinematic terms.
These intense visuals go a long way to keeping “Harbin” compelling. Unfortunately the characters, despite some fine performances, get lost in the vastness of the epic filmmaking and intricate plotting.
“Harbin” is a big, impressive film that essays life-and-death topics of colonialism and the price of freedom. It works best when it is in motion, on the battlefield, but should also offer something to students of history.
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