K-movie revisited: 'Hit and Run Squad' deserves second chance

A scene from the 2019 movie “Hit and Run Squad” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Director Han Jun-hee's 2019 crime movie “Hit and Run Squad” reminded me of an unknown singer who received the long overdue spotlight on TV Chosun's hit show “Miss Trot 2.” That singer is Kim Eui-young, a contestant who failed to make the cut in Season 1 but chose to try and prove herself again in Season 2.

Her courage paid off. She was the star of Thursday night. Her name surfaced as one of the top 10 most searched names on the nation's largest internet portal Naver shortly after her performance. She stole the show, wowing all 15 judges with her perfect performance and she got the green light to advance to the next round. Several judges praised her, echoing views that she's a gifted singer and they didn't understand why she didn't make the cut to become a finalist in Season 1. For them, they went on to say, Kim is Season 2's best singer.

Just as Kim Eui-young became the belated discovery of the trot audition show, I think the 2019 film “Hit and Run Squad” is an underrated film which deserves a second chance, either by revisiting or through a sequel as indicated in the ending scene of the film.

I consider the movie a Christmas gift from Netflix.

For this reason, I regretted to learn that the movie didn't get favorable reviews from critics in 2019 when it was released. A review published by one media outlet back then said the first half of the film was great but the movie dragged on in the second half causing the movie to become lackluster.

Among viewers, it was a movie with two extreme reviews: some loved it, while some hated it. There are few in the middle.

The star-studded movie's box office record is disappointing: Some 1.8 million tickets were sold, falling far short of the movie's break-even point of 3 million. It has a viewer score of 7.1 out of 10 but don't think the score sheet reflects the movie's value.

An avid viewer would find that the second half was not a waste of time or the repetition of the story that was already told as some critics claimed.

If the movie was just 90 minutes long, it would have been the same old crime thriller. A police commissioner ambitious enough to become a politician receives a kickback from a business tycoon and their illicit transaction was caught on video. They both, however, manage to avoid punishment by destroying the smoking gun. The investigator who unsuccessfully tried to bring them to justice is demoted to working at the hit and run squad at a local police station. If the movie had ended there, it would have been a typical crime thriller portraying frustration of a courageous detective who fails to bring down the villains.

The second part of the film gives voice to Director Han. Han focuses in on two characters ― car-racing business mogul played by Jo Jung-suk and cop Seo Min-jae played by Ryu Jun-yeol.

“Hit and Run Squad” is a tale of two cops: one is an elite police investigator played by Kong Hyo-jin and the other is a cop who has a dark past as a juvenile delinquent played by Ryu Joon-yeol. The first part of the movie revolves around Kong gnawing at her failed attempt to bring the corrupt police commissioner to justice. The second part is dominated by the showdown between Ryu and the young, driven, out-of-control business mogul.

Jo and Ryu are caught in a mind game in their conversation that is preceded by car chase and fighting scenes.

Last Thursday night when Miss Trot contestant Kim Eui-young completed her astonishing performance, TV Chosun put text on the TV screen reading, “We're sorry for having been unable to recognize that you're such a talented singer.”

Those who were disappointed at “Hit and Run Squad” are encouraged to watch it again, paying attention to every detail of the movie. Some may want to say a similar thing as TV Chosun said to Kim Eui-young.

The ending scene of “Hit and Run Squad” hints at a sequel with Kong offering Ryu to join his newly created task force to crack down on corrupt business moguls. I am looking forward to seeing it.