Harbin (film)

2024 film by Woo Min-ho

Harbin

Theatrical release poster

Hangul|

하얼빈

RR| Haeolbin
MR| Haŏlbin
Directed by| Woo Min-ho
Written by|

* Woo Min-ho
* Kim Min-seong

Produced by| Kim Won-guk
Starring|

* Hyun Bin
* Park Jeong-min
* Jo Woo-jin
* Jeon Yeo-been
* Park Hoon
* Yoo Jae-myung
* Lily Franky
* Lee Dong-wook

Cinematography| Hong Kyung-pyo
Music by| Jo Yeong-wook

Production
companies

* Hive Media Corp
* Keystone Films
* Film Angels Studio

Distributed by| CJ Entertainment

Release dates

* September 8, 2024 (2024-09-08) (TIFF)
* December 24, 2024 (2024-12-24) (South Korea)

Running time

| 108 minutes[1]
Country| South Korea
Languages|

* Korean
* Japanese

Box office| US$33.5 million[2][3]

Harbin (Korean: 하얼빈) is a 2024 South Korean biographical period drama film directed by Woo Min-ho and starring Hyun Bin as Ahn Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who assassinated Itō Hirobumi, the first Prime Minister of Japan, in 1909.[4]

The film had its world premiere in the Gala program of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024.[5] It was released theatrically on December 24, 2024.

## Plot

[edit]

In 1909, Ahn Jung-geun, a resistance fighter opposing Korea's subjugation by Japan, struggles across the frozen Tumen River. Meanwhile, his fellow resistance fighters question his whereabouts and loyalty. Ahn returns but has his leadership challenged because most of the fighters under him had died in a recent successful attack against the Japanese. Ahn had refused to commit war crimes by executing prisoners of war, including officer Tatsuo Mori, and freed them. Mori tracked down Ahn's group and slaughtered them with cannon.

Ahn decides that he will redeem himself by assassinating Itō Hirobumi, the Prime Minister of Japan and former Resident General of Korea. Itō is currently travelling by train from China to Russian-controlled Harbin to hold meetings with Vladimir Kokovtsov, the Russian Finance Minister, in which the future of Korea will be discussed.

Ahn leads a team that includes Woo Deok-sun and Kim Sang-hyun by train to Vladivostok. The conductor alerts Japanese soldiers after overhearing them speaking Korean in a first-class carriage. In the ensuing brawl, Kim is knocked out the window and Ahn escapes. Ahn reaches the safehouse in Vladivostok, where the team regroups along with reinforcements from Korea who usurp Ahn's leadership, with Woo being the last to arrive. Meanwhile, Itō is briefed about the assassination plot but refuses to give in and cancel the public reception at Harbin railway station.

The team reaches out to Ms. Gong, a former associate of theirs in the independence struggle who is now an arms smuggler, for explosives to blow up Itō's train carriage. Unable to procure them in Vladivostok quickly enough, Gong instead gets them from her brother-in-law and former Korean independence fighter-turned bandit in Jilin.

With this delay, it is now too late to assassinate Itō in Changchun. As the team sets out for China, they are ambushed outside their safe house by Russian and Japanese troops led by Mori and the explosives are destroyed. The team suspects they have been infiltrated by a mole. On the train to Harbin, they carry out a sting operation using false information that Ahn's team will strike at a railway station where Itō is scheduled to switch trains before reaching Harbin. The sting reveals that Kim is the traitor.

Woo and Kim arrive at the change station, where Japanese troops led by Mori lie in wait. Woo confronts Kim about his betrayal, who breaks down before Woo can shoot him. A flashback shows that Kim was captured and tortured by Mori using gas. Mori breaks into the room and brutally interrogates the two about Ahn, before realizing that he must be in Harbin.

At Harbin railway station, Ahn is briefed about the situation by Gong. After the meeting is over, the dignitaries leave the train carriage and Ahn stalks them through the crowd as they cross the platform. Mori tries to catch Ahn but is knocked down by Gong, allowing Ahn to shoot Itō repeatedly while shouting "Long live Korea!" in Russian before being detained.

News of Itō's assassination spreads and Ahn is hanged in March 1910. Later, Mori meets with Kim to get him to infiltrate Kim Ku's independence movement, but Kim stabs him to death and rejoins Gong and a recently released Woo. A flashback reveals that Ahn had ordered Woo to give Kim a second chance. The film returns to Ahn on the frozen Tumen River thinking about the need to keep fighting for Korean independence no matter how bleak the outlook.

## Cast

[edit]

* Hyun Bin as An Jung-geun
* Park Jeong-min as Woo Deok-sun
* Jo Woo-jin as Kim Sang-hyun
* Jeon Yeo-been as Ms. Gong
* Park Hoon as Tatsuo Mori
* Yoo Jae-myung as Choi Jae-hyung
* Lily Franky as Itō Hirobumi
* Lee Dong-wook as Lee Chang-seop
* Jung Woo-sung as Park Jeom-chul

## Production

[edit]

Hive Media Corp announced Hyun Bin had been cast in Harbin in November 2021.[6] Filming took place in early 2023 in Latvia.[7]

## Release

[edit]

Harbin premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, as part of the Gala section, on September 8, 2024.[1][5]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The film was released on December 24, 2024 and opened at first place on the South Korean box office with 381,251 admissions. The film topped the South Korean box office for twenty eight days following its release. On December 25, the film surpassed 1 million audience on the second day of its release, on December 28, it crossed 2 million viewers on the fifth day of its release, and on January 1, the film hit 3 million admissions on the ninth day of its release.

As of March 15, 2025, the film has grossed US$32,928,686 from 4,911,782 admissions.[8]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[9] International political scientist and Conservative Party of Japan politician, Yōichi Shimada and other conservatives in Japan criticized this movie, alongside Biochemical Revelations 731 (released in China) as "revisionist propaganda designed to encourage animosity towards Japan".[10]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award ceremony  | Year  | Category  | Nominee  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Asian Film Awards | 2025  | Best Cinematography  | Hong Kyung-pyo | Won  | [11]
Florence Korea Film Fest  | 2025  | Audience Choice Award  | Harbin | Won  | [12]
Baeksang Arts Awards | 2025 | Grand Prize – Film | Hong Kyung-pyo  | Won  | [13]
Best Film | Harbin | Won
Best Director | Woo Min-ho | Nominated
Best Actor | Hyun Bin | Nominated
Best Supporting Actor | Jo Woo-jin | Nominated
Best Technical Achievement  | Hong Kyung-pyo (Cinematography)  | Nominated
Director's Cut Awards | 2025  | Best Director (Film)  | Woo Min-ho  | Nominated  | [14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Harbin". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
2. ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2024". KOFIC. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
3. ^ "Harbin (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
4. ^ Dutta, Debashree. "'Harbin,' Starring Hyunbin, to Screen at Toronto International Film Festival". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
5. ^ a b "The Toronto International Film Festival sets the stage for an exciting lineup with its first six Official Selections of TIFF '24". TIFF. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
6. ^ Suacillo, Angela Patricia. "Hyun Bin to star in upcoming spy action film, 'Harbin'". NME. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
7. ^ Simsone, Kristine. "Korean Historical Spy Film Harbin Starts Shooting in Latvia". Film New Europe. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
8. ^ "Daily Box Office". KOBIS (in Korean). Retrieved May 1, 2025.
9. ^ "Harbin". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
10. ^ "Japan's far-right slams 2 history films for trying to 'drive a wedge'". South China Morning Post. 2025-01-04. Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
11. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (March 16, 2025). "Asian Film Awards: 'All We Imagine as Light' Wins Best Picture, Yoshida Daihachi Takes Best Director for 'Teki Cometh'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
12. ^ "Asian Film Awards: 'Festival Audience Award Woo Min-ho – Harbin'". Florence Korea Film Fest. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
13. ^ Park, Jeong-seon (April 7, 2025). '제61회 백상예술대상 with 구찌' 5월 5일 개최 확정. JTBC. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
14. ^ Kim Mi-hwa (April 22, 2025). 유아인, 남자배우상 후보→여자배우상은 김고은vs김고은 [디렉터스컷 어워즈]. Star News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved April 22, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Harbin at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
* Harbin at IMDb
* Harbin at HanCinema

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)