Hyun Bin tastes his opponent’s dynamic with Lee Dong Wook in Harbin [TIFF]

Korean cinema returns to the Toronto International Film Festival With director Woo Min-ho’s latest effort HarbinStarring Hyun Bin as Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun. Told as a spy thriller, the period piece follows Jeung-geun’s planned assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the first Japanese Resident-General of Korea. Besides the gorgeous visuals, the story rests on the tenacity of Korea’s righteous army in the face of their oppressor’s onslaught of colonization.

Hyun Bin leads an all-star cast Harbinincluded Decision to leaveS Park Jeong-min, Jo Woo-jin, Vincenzo‘s Jeon Yeo-been, Yoo Jae-myung and the perennially popular Lee Dong-wook in a memorable special appearance. Hyun himself has been at the top of the Korean entertainment industry for two decades, since he first skyrocketed to fame with the Bridget Jones’s Diary-esque drama My lovely Sam soon. More recently, he made waves internationally with the 2019 hit Netflix drama Crash landing on youWhich helped pave the way for an influx of Korean content worldwide. But while he may be best known for romantic projects, he’s been involved in more than his fair share of more serious fare, such as Harbin.

Screen Rant Interviewed Hyun Bin on the Harbin Red carpet at TIFF, where the born actor shared his respect for the director, with whom he is also filming the Disney + series Made in Korea. He also hinted at the less-than-solid relationship with Lee’s character, whose fictional character Lee Chang-seop presents several obstacles.

Hyun Bin shares his excitement for Harbin and tastes his dynamic with Lee Dong work

Harbin isn’t the only project Hyun Bin is tackling alongside Woo Min-ho.

Screen Rant: You work with director Woo Min-ho on both Harbin and Made In Korea. Can you talk about what you like best about his directorial approach?

Hyun Bin: I really like director Woo Min-ho’s honest approach to filmmaking, and I love the way he delivers storylines. He’s also very detailed, and from an actor’s point of view, that’s always a plus.

Screen Rant: Lee Dong Wook has a special appearance in this movie. Can you tease something about your dynamic with him?

Hyun Bin: As for Lee Dong Wook’s participation, he plays a fictional character that does not exist in reality. But he is a good opponent for my character.

While K-pop may be more widely known for its passionate fanbase in the West, there’s no denying the intense cheers that reverberated throughout Harbin Red carpet. Even before Hyun and Lee came out, the crowd of onlookers were wild with joy at the thought of glimpsing them in the near future. The two stars were also gracious enough to spend a lot of time waving and posing for the fans before stepping onto the press line, where they answered questions with the help of an interpreter.

More about Woo Min Ho’s Harbin (2024)

The historical drama shifts between action and reaction, but never leaves a thought-provoking commentary.

In 1905, Japan forced Korea to sign the Eulsa Treaty, stripping the nation of its diplomatic rights and reducing the entire peninsula to a Japanese colony. In 1909, when Harbin begins, Korea’s small but formidable Hasidic army militia is deep in a campaign of armed resistance against the Japanese. After emerging as the sole survivor of a particularly bloody clash, Ahn Jung-geun (Hyun) heads an operation to assassinate Itō Hirobumi, the first Japanese Resident-General of Korea and a key symbol of violent colonial oppression.

The operation will require Ahn and his cohort to travel undercover in Russia, gathering resources and allies while concocting elaborate decoys. With terrible risks at every turn, murderous security forces on the tail, and the whole plan under constant danger of collapse, the question arises: how many Koreans must die for the independence of their country?

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Harbin Had its world premiere in the gala program of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8.

Source: Screen Rant Plus