--- title: "A Hard Day: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-hard-day/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-hard-day" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Hard Day (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 8 reviews: 5 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews lean clearly positive, and they agree on what the film is: a tightly built thriller that is funnier than most of its kind. Most critics praise the control of the filmmaking, the dark humour threaded through the carnage and the inventiveness of the set pieces, with the body-disposal sequence singled out more than once. Lee Sun-kyun’s performance draws near-unanimous praise, several critics noting how his frozen, physically reactive panic stops the comedy from floating free of the stakes. The reservations cluster on depth. Variety finds the characterisation shallow and the hero oddly free of remorse; The Playlist and The Hollywood Reporter enjoy it while allowing that it does not mean much. Vulture is alone in finding the second half less exciting than the first. The spread is narrow, running from warm to warmer, though three of the eight reviews could not be read in full, so the picture rests on five. ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2015. Edelstein praises the film as a witty, exhilarating thriller that keeps viewers laughing and afraid, though he finds the second half less exciting than the first. He singles out Lee Sun-kyun’s frozen-faced, physically reactive performance and the film’s elegant visual wit amid messy carnage. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/07/movie-review-a-hard-day.html) ## Variety — Maggie Lee Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2014. Festival review. Lee praises the thriller as tightly controlled, technically accomplished, and suspenseful, with dark humor and social satire. She singles out Lee Sun-kyun’s performance and the inventive, tense body-disposal sequence, while criticizing the shallow characterization and lack of remorse. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-a-hard-day-1201185578/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Dalton Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. The critic calls it a dynamic, highly enjoyable thriller, though not one of Cannes’s deepest films. He praises its suspense, smart twists, dark humor, and polished visuals. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/a-hard-day-cannes-review-705244/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Rating 3.5/5. 24 November 2015. Bowen calls the film a terrific, unusually funny thriller and praises its breathless, inventive orchestration of chaos. He singles out Lee Sun-kyun’s disciplined screwball performance for grounding the film’s playful heartlessness in visceral panic. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/a-hard-day/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint from the review can be confirmed. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-hard-day-2015) ## Screen Daily — Jason Bechervaise Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. The critic's verdict is unavailable because the article text is behind a paywall. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible page. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/a-hard-day/5072035.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/17/movies/review-in-a-hard-day-looney-tunes-meets-cops-corpses-and-crime.html) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A-. 18 May 2014. Festival review. The critic calls the film an exhilarating, brilliantly entertaining genre thriller, while noting it is neither profound nor especially meaningful. They praise its inventive set pieces, tightly paced filmmaking, and deadpan humor. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/cannes-review-twisty-inventive-hilarious-korean-cop-thriller-a-hard-day-is-a-total-blast-20140518/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-hard-day.md