Hard Hit: Car Bomb

There's something so satisfying about a thriller with a simple plot-device. In Hard Hit, a father (Jo Woo-jin) — shuttling his daughter (Lee Jae-in) and son to school — discovers a bomb has been planted under the driver's seat. If he gets out of his car... BOOM! It's the same gimmick as Speed — more or less — except smaller vehicle, less passengers, and higher stakes. So what's the mystery caller want? Money was my first guess since daddy's in banking. And considering a co-worker's car blows up pretty quickly, you know that the man on the phone means business.

So what does one do in such a heinous situation, except drive on? In this case, our man-behind-the-wheel attempts to negotiate. He stalls for time. He calms his children. He suggests a more reasonable amount of cash. But we all know how this works! That caller insists on getting every damned penny. And you better not call the cops or the bomb squad (Jin Kyung). No time for excuses; you best be wheelin' and dealin' fast. Which is a skill our panicking hero possesses. As the extortionist says, "You certainly lie well." Which of course makes us wonder what his relationship is like with his wife (Kim Ji-ho). But we can explore those questions much later... depending on who survives!

Remake(s): Writer-director Kim Chang-ju's Hard Hit (2021) is inspired by Alberto Morini's screenplay for Retribution (2015) which was also remade as the German film Don't. Get. Out. (2018).