Kim Chang-Ju co-wrote, directed and edited this South Korean action thriller, Hard Hit.

The film follows VIP Bank Manager Sung-Gyu, played by Jo Woo-jin. He tends to the demands of a bank’s essential customers. And somehow, it leads him to the worse day of his life.

The movie, directed by Dani de la Torre, provides a familiar suspenseful plot based on the Spanish-French action thriller Retribution (2015).

Sung-Gru drives his daughter and son to school one morning. Along the way, a phone rings from the glove box. An anonymous caller claims there’s a bomb under Sung-gyu’s seat, and if anyone exits the car, it will explode unless Sung-gyu can pay a hefty ransom.

What initially feels like a prank call quickly turns into an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The action-packed sequences hold the movie together. Sure, we feel for the family and their dangerous situation, but the car chases through a maze of alternate roles of attack and defense.

The original music composed by Kim Tae-Seong adds suspenseful undertones and overtones, perfect for developing a calm, typical weekday to a vibrant, hellbent high-speed chase at the mercy of a sinister bomber.

Sung-gyu must simultaneously ensure the safety of his children, find enough money to pay the ransom and evade the police, all while trying to figure out what he did in his past to deserve this.

Woo-jin does a dynamic job of acting primarily behind the wheel of a car. He holds his emotions by expressing tension and remorseful angst. Ji Chang-Wook also stars and is believable in this new gem of a role, another side we’ve yet to see.

The movie received three nominations in 2021 at the Buil Film Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

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