HARBIN Review: Early in Korea's Fight for Independence

Small wonder that the film topped Korea's box office this past weekend.

Harbin
The film opens Friday, January 3, in select theaters throughout Canada and the U.S. via Well Go USA. Visit the official site for more information.

Distinguished immediately by the keen eye of cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo (Parasite, The Wailing), director Woo Min-ho (Inside Men, 2015) crafts an assured historical drama that plays smartly to audiences who are fully aware of the centuries-long hostilities between the two neighboring nations.

In the early 20th Century, Japan's declaration that made Korea its protectorate further inflamed nationalistic fires among independent fighters for Korea's independence. That's where the prelude to the film begins, establishing two battling characters, An Jung-geun (Hyun Bin) and Lee Chang Seop (Lee Dong-wook), who are both seeking to end Japanese rule, though taking two vastly different approaches.

In 1909, the primary narrative takes hold, as raging emotions and deep divides have festered. Ito Hirobumi, who served several times as Japan's Prime Minister, heads for Harbin in Northeast China by rail in his role as leader of Korea under Japanese rule, intending to meet with the Russian finance minister and discuss Korea's future. Korean freedom fighters made plans to kill him, with An Jung-geun taking point, in part to atone for the death of his fellow freedom fighters at the hand of a Japanese military officer who he freed from certain death, in compliance with intentional laws.

It's a complicated plot to summarize clearly in writing. On screen, however, it's far easier to follow, as the narrative, which always takes precedence, is occasionally buttressed by superior action scenes. The deadly action propulsively pushes the plot forward and gives an edge to every sequence, since we never know when the murderous violence might erupt.

Deadly serious, Harbin fairly well bubbles with nationalistic vigor and vim. As to be expected from CJ Entertainment, the impressively-mounted production is filled to overflowing with landscapes and settings that are visually beautiful, even if they're only meant to camouflage the action that is unfolding.

Director Woo Min-ho maintains a furious pace that rarely relents on its pressure points. A film that easily transcends its historic subject matter, Harbin becomes a steely-eyed adventure that eschews sentimentality. Instead, it foregrounds the self-sacrifice inherent in any acts of intended heroism, even as it raises questions beyond the actions themselves that reverberate to this day.