Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from writer/director Woo Min-ho and Well Go USA is the thriller of Korean history when meeting in HARBIN.

It is 1909 in Korea as the country prepares for annexation to Japan. A group of comrades of war, including Woo Deo-sun (Park Jeong-min), Kim Sang-hyun (Jo Woo-jin) and Chi Jae-hyung (Yoo Jae-myung) decide that they cannot let this happen. Plans are being made to stop it by assassinating the Korean leader Hirobumi Ito (Lily Franky) in Harbin. Ahn Jung-guen (Hyun Bin) is leading his group of men but there is someone who wants him. Gen. Tatsuo Mori (Park Hoon) is tearing the group apart to find him. An incident happened during the war that has made Ahn Jung-guen the focus of Mori’s attention.

Ito makes it clear that he doesn’t fear those who want to attack him. Instead, a mole has been put in the group but Ahn Jung-guen’s men realize that something is amiss. None of this stops their mission but it does cause mistrust on everyone’s part. Each in the plot know their roles in the mission and each are aware of the dangers they face. Reaching out to Ms. Gong (Jeon Yeo-been), she helps the men get to their destination and briefs Ahn on the mission’s final stop in Harbin.

It is a game of cat and mouse with the prize of a country attempting to save itself!

Bin as Jung-guen is a quiet man with a conscious. In war he was against taking the lives of his prisoners and of them – was Mori. Much to the dismay of his brothers in arms, the character of Jung-guen is clear about his beliefs. Bin gives us a man who now must make right the belief in his country’s independence and never forgetting those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make that happen.

Hoon as Mori has a moment on his knees that followed him after the war. His obsession with Ahn takes over every part of his life. He is devious in how to get close to him but the one thing he doesn’t count on is the determination of Ahn and those who want Korea’s freedom.  Jeong-min as Deo-sun as believes in what they are doing and follows Jung-guen cautiously. Woo-jin as Sang-hyun has his part to play in the plan and it can turn the plan even deadlier.

Other cast include Kim Ji-oh as Otani, Lee Tae-Hueong as Jo Do-Sun, Lee Kang as Ahn Se-ho, Yoon Yeo-won as Shin Jae-Sik, Tongha Pak as Yamada, Son In Young as Kim Seong-Baek, Lee Dong-wook as Lee Chang-seop, Ego Mikitas as Vladimir Kokovtsov and Jung Woo-sung as Park Jeom-chul.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

Bonus features include The Making of Harbin.

HARBIN is an intense film starting out with how each of the characters believe in their fight for Korea and how it follows them well beyond the battle field. Planning an assassination takes time and trust, that can be difficult when everything is surrounded by tensions of two countries and another putting in their two-cents. The feel of the film is gritty and cold which is exactly how I would see their world in 1909.

Director Woo Min-ho also wrote and directed such films as THE SPIES, INSIDE MEN and THE DRUG KING as well as THE MAN STANDING NEXT. The later film won an amazing number of awards from the 40th Korean Association of Film Critics’ Awards, 7th Korean Film Producers Association Awards, Cine 21 Awards in categories of Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

As a period piece, HARBIN is exactly what I enjoy keeping the story straight forward and not clouding it with a lot of things that it just doesn’t need. It is a story of men during a time of war and a country in crisis. Both of those bring the story together of a group of believers who only had one goal – to save their country. It may have taken 36 years to do it but the fighters kept the flame alive till it actually happened.

In the end – they band together so others can be remembered!

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