HARBIN (하얼빈) (2024)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Woo Min-ho
Cast: Hyun Bin, Lee Dong-wook, Jeon Yeo-been, Park Jeong-min, Jo Woo-jin
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 25 December 2024

Synopsis: Set in the 1900s, HARBIN promises to be a gripping tale of espionage, betrayal and heart-pounding action. Witness the journey of the Korean independence army in this year-end blockbuster, starring top stars Hyun Bin (as Ahn Jung-geun) and Lee Dong-wook (as Lee Chang-sup).

Movie Review:

Conflicts between North and South Korea are constantly being reported in the media. Be it scattered propaganda leaflets, flying drones or threats of nuclear strikes, the inter-Korean relations remain intense and perhaps escalating. However, little is mentioned that Japan formally annexed Korea following the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 and it was not until 1945 that Korea was liberated from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule.

The story of Harbin revolves around events that happened before the treaty. A Korean resistance fighter, Lt-General Ahn Jung-geun (Hyun Bin) and his group of fighters, Chang-sup (Lee Dong-wook), Woo (Park Jung-min), Kim (Jo Woo-jin) and Ms Gong (Jeong Yeo-bee) has to gather in Russia to plan to assassinate the first Prime Minister of Japan, Itō Hirobumi at the Harbin train station.

Hot on the heels of Ahn is a ruthless Japanese army officer, Tatsuo Mori (Park Hoon) whom Ahn has earlier made the mistake of letting the captured Mori and his surviving soldiers go free. Unfortunately, Mori and his men regroup and slaughtered the rest of Ahn’s compatriots and now, he is after Ahn who he believed in some ways have humiliated him for his defeat.

The narrative by director and writer Woo Min-ho is mostly straightforward except for a brief flashback detailing Ahn’s blunder. Woo’s movie is more of an espionage tale than an hardcore war actioner and even then, the pacing is leisurely notably with a huge detour included for the resistance fighters to head to Manchuria to acquire explosives from an ex-comrade turned bandit. There are indeed a couple of shootouts littered throughout but nothing that screams of gripping.

It wouldn’t be called a spy movie without the presence of a mole lurking in the team. The second half of the story details the discovery of a mole after an ambush led by Mori occurred after the team managed to secure the explosives. While Woo maintains a relatively tense atmosphere and equal attention to spectacle, there’s little to talk about the various characters that look no difference in terms of look and behaviour with their awkwardly done bushy facial hair.

Woo does little to the character of Ahn who is based on a real-life celebrated resistance fighter and in this case a man who holds family values and integrity close to his heart. Of course, the fault doesn’t lies in Hyun Bin or Park Hoon who does his best being the hated typical Japanese villain. Much of Harbin delves into the patriotism of the Koreans, a message that is clearly visible in any of Korea’s war movies. The subplot of flashing out the mole at times risk overshadowing the assassination of the target.

Even for the slight flaws, Harbin remains a solid piece of cinematic work. The cinematography by Hong Kyung-pyo (Parasite, Burning) is breathtaking especially the harsh wintry in which Ahn and his men first faced off Mori, the frozen Tumen river in which Ahn has to cross and a subsequent scene in the desert area of Mongolia. Even the score by Jo Yeong-wook is a pleasure to the ears. As a historical based event movie, Harbin is still an interesting watch.

Movie Rating:

(A minor history lesson in the form of a well-executed spy thriller)

Review by Linus Tee