[HanCinema's Film Review] "Harbin"

Part of the problem with setting any film during the Japanese Occupation of Korea is that we, the viewer, know full well that the Koreans can't possibly win in the long run. "Harbin" makes the most of this by loading its 1907 era story with grim subtext. We know that An Jung-geun (played by Hyun Bin) will eventually succeed in assassinating Ito Hirobumi. We also know that this real-life historical event will only make the situation worse for Korea in the short term.

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The big philosophical question posed by "Harbin" is, can our heroes really justify their actions if they don't believe they can really succeed? The belief is a nihilistic one, but these are nihilistic times. The first big conflict of the film is Jung-geun arguing with other revolutionaries about whether or not they should murder prisoners of war. One such prisoner, Mori Tatsuo (played by Park Hoon) goes on to become the primary antagonist, a constant recurring reminder of the inherent cruelty of war.

In general the Japanese villains are remarkably understated. The scenes with Ito Hirobumi are particularly intriguing, because he seems to hold genuine sympathy for the Korean people. As Ito Hirobumi mostly correctly sees it, the Koreans have been betrayed by their ruling classes for centuries, yet still doggedly fight for themselves. Ito Hirobumi takes cold comfort in the fact that this time, an Admiral Yi Sun-shin is unlikely to arise and lead the Koreans to a turnabout victory.

These scenes are all the more striking because none of the Korean characters seem to believe this either. They've been headquartering in Russia, not due to any faith in the use of Russia as an ally, but because the homeland is so thoroughly lost all they can do is strike from the shadows. While on paper "Harbin" reads like "Assassination", in practice the movie's closer to "The Age of Shadows" in execution, with action setpieces taking a backseat to scenes of depressive paranoia.

"Harbin" is actually a lot more extreme than "The Age of Shadows" in that regard- director Woo Min-ho appears to have made a conscious effort to use most of the budget on location shooting, rather than action, to get across this mood. A big fight is a failure, and victory is an illusion. Jung Woo-sung as the bandit leader Park Jeom-cheol shows, in his sad drunken state, that even "successful" leaders like him start to wish for death after a certain point, and start to see the whole situation as a cosmic joke.

More than anything else, "Harbin" feels like a film for this specific historical moment. In between the coup attempt, the impeachment, and now this awful plane crash...well, the sad fact of the matter is, South Koreans aren't in a positive mood at the moment, and it's hard to blame them. Jung-geun and his compatriots struggle to believe in something, to do something, simply because the alternative is complete despair. And that's no way to live at all.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Harbin" is directed by Woo Min-ho, and features Hyun Bin, Park Jung-min, Jo Woo-jin, Jeon Yeo-been, Yoo Jae-myung, Park Hoon. Release date in Korea: 2024/12/24.

January 3, 2025 US & Canadian release information: wellgousa.com/films/harbin