Hard Days 2023 Movie Review
‘Hard Days’ is a Japanese film that was released in theatres in Japan and now it is available on Netflix for the world to see. This Japanese thriller is a remake of the 2014 South Korean film ‘A Hard Day’. The plot feels familiar. The film is entertaining, but the characters fail to grab the viewer’s sympathy. Although a thriller, the film with its melodramatic properties will remind you of a Bollywood film. The antagonist at one point seems to be more deserving of the viewer’s empathy.
Since it is a remake, it is obvious that the plot shall be known to people who have watched the original. It is here that the film falls short. Although there are certain changes made in the plot this time, the film fails to surprise. Moreover, if action sequences in an action thriller start feeling dragged you begin questioning whether it is necessary.
The original plot extended over a period of twenty-four hours, making it more complicated and probably confusing for the viewers. In this film, the same plot is extended over a period of three days. This in turn breaks down the chronology of events making them comprehensive. The film begins on a night marked by torrential rainfall where a corrupt cop Yuji Kudo (Okada Junichi) is seen driving to the hospital after his mother passed away. He receives a phone call from the chief at his precinct informs him that a local paper has written a story about a corrupt policeman who had accepted a handsome bribe from the local underworld syndicate.
He is panic-stricken and flighty, probably because he knows what might happen to his family if the charges of corruption against him are proven. His car accidentally hits a pedestrian who later turns out to be a criminal Oda, and he drops dead. He doesn’t want to attract any further trouble, so he goes the extra mile to cover up the murder. The moment he hears the word ‘cremation’ as a part of his mother’s funeral, he works out a plan to throw the dead body in her coffin. Meanwhile, an internal affairs committee member named Yazaki (Ayo Go) narrows down the corruption in the precinct to Yuji. It later turns out that Yazaki who seemed to be an upright officer was actually an over-ambitious person who had extremely heinous intentions.
There is money laundering, corrupt religious institutions, an appropriate subplot of a money heist, and a tough fight between the leads at the end, and all the over-the-top raunchy rock beats still leaves you asking for something more.
The thriller is character-driven but the characters are too unlikeable to be cheered on. The cop towards the end of the film recalls his duty and recovers all the laundered black money only to falter at the end, after seeing the huge amount of cash lying around. The way the antagonist is being bullied by his father-in-law makes you sympathize with his character. But both of them do not fit the bill of an ideal hero or villain. The interest of the viewer in these characters quickly dwindles. The melodramatic treatment given to their backstories only feels ridiculous. Yet, keeping all the imperfect tonalities aside, the film is still watchable and it won’t be an exaggeration to call it even entertaining.
But, The Film Is Too Long… Directed by Fujii Michihito the film is only a little shy of the two-hour runtime. The original film is around one and a half hours long. The Japanese adaptation feels to overstay its welcome. ‘Hard Days’ is only the third remake of the original film ‘A Hard Day’ and this might be the worst adaptation. The post-credit scenes and the denouement of this crime drama feel too stretchy ( I was only dozing off at the end).
In conclusion, it can be said that although Korea and Japan have had a history of political rivalry, the intermingling and cross-pollination of their cultures via their films as seen in ‘ A Hard Day’ and its Japanese adaptation ‘Hard Days’ is really commendable to witness. This crime drama is neither sloppy nor boring yet there is something missing in this Japanese recipe of a potboiler. The film is streaming on Netflix and can be a fun watch this weekend.
