Hard Hit

I. Introduction

Hard Hit is a 2021 South Korean thriller film (a remake of the 2015 Spanish movie El desconocido), directed by Kim Chang-ju and starring Jo Woo-jin, Lee Jae-in and Ji Chang-wook. The film is produced by TPS Company, with a production costs of ₩7 billion and is distributed by CJ Entertainment. Filming began in early February 2020 in Haeundae city & was wrapped in May 2020. The photos of filming in Busan were released on June 23, the day of release. The film was released theatrically in South Korea on June 23, 2021 on 1010 screens & released theatrically in Taiwan on July 22, 2021, making available for streaming on IPTV, TVING, Naver TV, GOM Player, Google Play, One Store, and KakaoPage from July 20, 2021.

II. Synopsis

Head of a bank center in Busan, Sung Gyu drives his daughter Hye In to her college entrance exam. A phone call comes in on Hye In’s phone with a restriction on the number display (also known by the slang black call). She takes the call, and a voice tells her - There’s a bomb under your seat right now. And as soon as you stop and get out of the car, it’s going to explode, she is told.

In the middle of downtown Busan, the frightened run of Sung Gyu’s family begins. Restricted Call is an urban chase thriller about a family in an unpredictable situation due to a mysterious phone call.

III. Cast

Pic	Name	Character
	Jo Woo-jin	Lee Seong-gyu
	Ji Chang-wook	Jin-woo
	Lee Jae-in	Lee Hye-in
	Kim Ji-ho	Yeon-su
	Jin Kyung	Ban

IV. Trailers

V. Reception

According to the integrated computer network for movie theater admissions by the Korea Film Council (KoFiC), the film was at first place on the Korean box office. As of June 23, it collected 57000 audience, which is the best opening record among Korean films released in 2021 so far. The film maintained its first place during the first week by mobilizing 39,277, 47,505, 105,496, 100,912, 35,743 and 35,114 audience on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th day respectively. The cumulative number of viewers at the end of 7th day stands at 421,581. By Korean film council, it is at 5th place among all the Korean films released in the year 2021, with gross of US$7.78 million and 952,387 admissions, as of September 29, 2021.

It has received 7.8 scores from Mydramalist, & 5.8 from IMDB.

VI. Sports Trend

Lee Da-won writing for Sports Trend opined that power of the story in the film layed in conveying the message of human morality and family love alongside the thrills. Da-won praised Jo Woo-jin for expressing tension, remorse, and apologetic feelings with face expressions as the 80% of the film is on driver's seat. She felt that Ji Chang-wook is a new find on completely different role in this film. Her unbiased review is, - It's time, let's go to the theater!

VII. Star Today

Yang So-young writing for Star Today praised the performance of actors Lee Jae-in and Jo Woo-jin. Writing about Jo Woo-jin, So-young opined, - Jo Woo-jin persuasively portrays the fear, tension, urgency, and fatherly love that Seong-gyu feels in a confined and enclosed space. Concluding So-young wrote, - Literally no smoke holes, the second half may be disappointing depending on the audience, but you can enjoy 94 minutes.

VIII. Within News

Kim Young-sik reviewing for Within News praised the performance of Jo Woo-jin and wrote, - A work that definitely stands out for actor Jo Woo-jin's passionate performance. Young-sik also praised the car chase scenes, and opined that these are a stand out for a solo lead.

VIV. Seoul Economy

Choo Seung-hyun of Seoul Economy praised the performance of Jo Woo-jin and Lee Jae-in. Highlighting the strengths of director Kim, who has previously edited the films, Seung-hyun wrote, - The audience follows the same timeline as the main character, giving the impression of being right next to each other. Seung-hyun liked the runtime of the film and wrote, - The running time of 94 minutes, which is neither too long nor too short, was expressed plainly without any fuss.

VV. Star News

Jeon Hyeong-hwa reviewing for Star News wrote that the film have a familiar setting so, to give it a freshness, a sense of speed was put into scenario. He praised the performances of Jo Woo-jin and Lee Jae-in. He opined that the charm of Busan, where film has been set in, is fully captured on a large screen, so he concluded, - A movie proves that it tastes good only when it is seen in a theatre.

VI. Awards & Nominations