Harbin (2024)

Harbin is the historical fictional retelling of the assassination of Japanese Resident-General Itō Hirobumi and the events that led to it. Told from the perspective of An Jung Geun, one of the activists in Korean Independence army, the movie depicts a chain of events that led to the planning of the assassination. The film features themes of war, espionage, and political plotting. That being said, the first half was boring. It struggles with pacing issues, bogged down by way too many characters who fail to leave a lasting impression despite the star-studded cast. It's filled with boring scenes of men discussing, planning, and excessively smoking in a dark room. This slow buildup feels tedious, making it difficult to invest in the story or its players.

The second half becomes more thrilling as the plan to assassinate General Ito comes into fruition. It is packed with more action and suspense. There's a race against time to reach the general, while Japanese soldiers are riding on their coattails. One thing I loved is how they depicted the inner conflict of one of the characters. The film takes a nuanced approach to representing certain historical figures. General Itō Hirobumi is depicted as a complex individual rather than a one-dimensional villain. The movie even managed to mention some of his accomplishments. In contrast, the Japanese Army is depicted as cruel, inhumane, and barbaric.

The climax was intense. There was great use of sound editing and mixing to capture the thrill and suspense of the moment. Overall, this patriotic film is a great one time watch. I don't think I'll be watching again unless I'm a huge fan of war or historical films.

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Korea Ura

Harbin was an emotional and patriotic retelling of the Korean independence fighters' struggles for independence. Phenomenal cast, hooking plot, amazing soundtrack. It had lots of potential.

Honestly, you had to be patient for the action to come. They spend a lot of time focusing on characters who didn't exist historically just to beef up the plot, such as Lee Dong Wook and Jung Woo Sung. I wish they would have kept the plot truer to the original story, instead of trying to make it more "movie-style". They could've dug deeper into the annexation of Korea rather than having the many action scenes. Nevertheless, the second half was amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat with twists at every corner. The story was a rollercoaster of emotions.

The acting was superb. You can't go wrong with Hyun Bin. His performance was deep and emotional. The other actors were phenomenal too. The soundtrack was well-made for the film as well. I was immersed the entire time. Especially, when Ahn shot Hirobumi and began shouting "Korea Ura", that's when my heart broke. Long live Korea.

Most of these independence fighters dedicated their life for their country's independence, yet never lived to see it. They left their families to fight for Korea. Ahn Jung Geun's life story is way deeper than the movie shows. I would suggest researching him and the righteous army militias. It is truly heartbreaking. The last moments of Ahn's life were gutwrenchingly sad, and not portrayed in the film. I wish they would've spent more time on showing the consequences of Hirobumi's assassination. These fighters fought so hard and made Korea what it is today.

Overall, Harbin was a good look into Korean independence. It had potential to be better, but it was still sufficient as is. The movie was an emotional ride. The film honored and shed a light on the independence fighters. I hope that this history of Korea is never forgotten. Korea Ura.

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