"Joseon is a strange country. Whenever there is a national crisis, the people exert their strange power." Hirobumi Ito had enough of talking about Joseon, which does not break even if it breaks. And such Joseon spirit continues now and into the future. People took to the streets with candles (cheering sticks) against the crazy sword dance called emergency martial law. Our sublime spirit is never broken by guns, knives, and military boots.
In 1909, an action film 'Harbin' (directed by Woo Min-ho, produced by Hive Media Corp) was first unveiled at the press and distribution premiere held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 18th.
The story of 'Harbin', which was considered the last expected film of this year, is as follows. It is the story of Ahn Jung-geun and independence fighters surrounding the Harbin uprising on October 26 of that year in 1909, which was the coolest and most precarious in Korean history. Following the musical film 『Hero』 presented by director Yoon Je-kyun in December 2022, 『Ahn Jung-geun Movie』 knocked on the door of the theater again in two years. The spirit and sincerity of Ahn Jung-geun, independent soldiers, and unnamed independence fighters, who thought of the country before themselves, were firmly contained in the film.
Rather than focusing on the 「Harbin Geosa」 shown in the existing Ahn Jung-geun movie, 'Harbin Geosa', it differentiated itself by focusing on the process it has gone through for the Geosa. Ahn Jung-geun, whose position was shaken by the incident of releasing prisoners of war after winning a big victory at the Battle of Shin Asan in North Hamgyong Province in 1908, depicted the story in pretty detail and unfolds desperately lonely until he achieved the Harbin residence. It captures the agony and conflict of Ahn Jung-geun, a human being, behind the face of Ahn Jung-geun, who had to carry out his career with a strong heart even in a desperate situation where national sovereignty was invaded.
The actors' passionate performance was also not hot, so it burned up. Hyun Bin, who turned into Ahn Jung-geun, a chief of staff of the Korean Medical Army, who fought lonely to restore national sovereignty, takes the center stage of 'Harbin' with a completely different interpretation from Ahn Jung-geun's appearance in his existing creations. Ahn Jung-geun, who suffers from the death of his comrades, has fully reproduced his noble spirit, which he endured with all the weight of his convictions for righteousness, his faith in his comrades, and his guilt that made his heart ache. Hyun Bin's eyes, where loneliness and toughness coexist, harmonized with Ahn Jung-geun's anguish and loneliness, portraying the most humane Ahn Jung-geun. In particular, Hyun Bin's sorrow and heavy narration of walking through the frozen river, which decorates the opening and ending of the movie, are the highlight of the beauty of `Harbin' that warms viewers' hearts. 'Walking into the darkness with a fire' Consolation goes out to all of us.
In addition to Hyun Bin, who played the title role of `Harbin', Park Jung-min as Woo Deok-soon, a loyal comrade who always supports Ahn Jung-geun's decision, Cho Woo-jin's bromance as Kim Sang-hyun, an independence army student who has been in charge of interpreting, and Jeon Yeo-bin's desperate ensemble as an independence army student who supplies Ahn Jung-geun with the necessary weapons also enhance the dignity of Harbin. The scene where Park Jung-min's shadowy performance, which feels more colorful the more you think about it, and Cho Woo-jin's sad sorrow in charge of important narratives in the middle and second half of the movie are also overwhelming. In addition, the method of Lily Frankie, a famous Japanese actor who plays Hirobumi Ito, creates charisma that freezes viewers from the beginning of her appearance. Ito Hirobumi's presence as if he were reborn makes the audience angry from time to time. Lily Frankie, who unleashed an aura with her whole body, is a divine word of 'Harbin'.
'Harbin' is a well-made blockbuster that provides a different level of overwhelming feeling, including location in three global countries, Mongolia, Latvia, and Korea, collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, and production in the first IMAX format of a Korean film. It is a theater movie complete with a perfect mise-en-scène that contains a wonderful mother nature, a solid story, a suspense that adds a twist, and even the actors' passion for blood, sweat and tears. "Harbin", which proved that Korean movies are still in good shape, is expected to give a heavy blow to Korea in 2024 of chaos. Following the "Spring of Seoul" directed by Kim Sung-soo a year ago, it is "Candlelight" that will make the audience's heart rate fluctuate once again.
Meanwhile, `Harbin' starred Hyun Bin, Park Jung-min, Cho Woo-jin, Jeon Yeo-bin, Park Hoon, Yoo Jae-myung, and Lee Dong-wook, and director Woo Min-ho of 'Insiders'Namsan Department Heads' took the megaphone. It will be released on the 24th.
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
