A HARD DAY: Aaron Kwok Will Lead The Chinese Remake Of The Hit South Korean Cop Thriller

Director Kim Sung-Hoon’s recent cat-and-mouse crime thriller, A Hard Day, was an award-winning feat earning a slew of noms and wins as it circulated festivals between 2014 and 2015. Regrettably, it’s also a film that I overlooked and having recently seen it for myself, not a day goes by that whenever someone asks me if there are any good movies out there to help kill time, that I don’t mention this title first. It’s that good.

They say an action movie is only as good as its villains. Well, what if you have a character like the one played by actor Lee Sun-Kyun? As the story goes, he’s a detective, already a crooked cop upscaling the hierarchy of his police force until a tragic accident threatens to derail everything he’s worked for. He spends every waking hour and day thereafter trying to cover up his crime until one day, a mysterious phone call reveals that someone above him is pulling the strings. A twist of fate ensues with blackmail and accumulating bodies of innocent cops, and it’s up to him to discover the truth behind his self-inflicted nightmare and bring it to an end once and for all.

The film, for lack of a better, more reserved way of putting it, is a fucking masterpiece. Lee’s role is one you simply love to hate with all the sordid business he pulls as a cop trying to get away with something, and of course the ever thickening plot gets you rooting for him opposite stellar actor Cho Jin-Woong. Thus, we have an anti-hero fighting to redeem himself with the odds far tipped from his own favor, resulting in a seething, cut-throat tale of murder and intrigue that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

So, why all the fuss now? Well it appears that new concept art is making the rounds via 1905.com that point to an upcoming remake as of last month’s 6th Beijing International Film Festival announcement. Aaron Kwok, star of the forthcoming July crime adventure, Cold War 2, is being listed for Lee’s role as the courrpt cop opposite Brotherhood Of Blades co-star Wang Qianyuan reprising that of the villain, played by Cho Jin-Woong in the original with Taiwanese filmmaker Lien Yi-Chi at the helm.

Filming is reportedly commencing in a few days with Kwok having recently completing his latest remake role in Chung Siu Hing’s New Eternal Wave. The film also lends a considerable rebound of sorts for Lien whose 2014 crime comedy, Sweet Alibis, was a critical hit despite being a commercial flop. I haven’t seen it myself but if positive reviews of a movie tell you nothing else, poor earnings be damned, they tell you a thing or two about a filmmaker who knows what he’s doing. 

So, needless to say, I’m down for this, but what say you? Comment below and share your opinions!

H/T: Asian Film Strike