"A Hard Day" was directed by Lawrence “Law” Fajardo - a director, producer, editor, and writer for cinema and television who is renowned for his fast-paced action movies that highlight the hardships faced by Filipinos and are frequently linked to the travails of workers and the heroics of the characters. It was the Viva Films' Metro Manila Movie Festival entry in 2021 and later on became available on Netflix. Furthermore, it was a Filipino adaptation of the Korean film with the same title "A Hard Day'' by Kim Seong-Hun.
The story started with Detective Edmund Villion (Dingdong Dantes) driving on his way to his mother’s funeral. Along the route, he was distracted by phone calls from his coworkers and sister. It made him stressed out, but the day had just started for him. It will be a series of unfortunate events; it will be a hard day.
The series of events in the movie makes the title synonymous with it. It started on a high note, which attracted the attention of the viewers. Villion avoided hitting a dog, resulting in him banging against the body of a person. The plot was well written, as there were no scenes that would make you yawn. You can feel the frustration of Detective Villion as he struggles to resolve the problems that keep coming to him. The climax of the movie starts when Lt. Franco (John Arcilla) encounters Detective Villion. He made Villion anxious as he revealed himself to him. He bugs him like a psychopath.
The actors in the movie played their roles well, especially the main characters, Detective Edmund Villion and Lt. Ace Franco. You can see the fear, anger, and frustration in their eyes. This makes the viewer feel connected to the film. In that way, they can relate to what is happening in the movie, which makes it a good movie. Though it was recommended to have parental guidance while watching because it was not appropriate for children and the dialogue was full of curses and bad expressions, the movie reflects how the system in our country favors the one who has money and power. In the movie, the police show more interest in their image than in doing their duty.
The graphics were not that great when Villion harasses his friend Apyong at the top of a tank. There were scenes where you could see that the background he had was just black, dissimilar to the blue tank supposedly behind him. Moreover, the phone he used, anyone can notice that brand of the phone was an iPhone, but the system from the calls and text messages that Villion receives is an Android system. There were also unrealistic scenes, such as when Villion manages to get the body to the room by a thread, then effortlessly places the body in the coffin while the group of men complains that the coffin is undeniably heavy. On the other hand, the lighting of the movie was good; even though some scenes are at night, it was not too bright or dark. The actors in the film did a great job portraying their roles. Overall, the mood of the movie can give you chills. The plot was engaging and as a citizen, you can relate to what kind of system our country currently has. The series of events will make you stop breathing for a second.
A hard day.
It was an action and thriller film, yet it shows the corrupt system the country has. The traffic in the Philippines when Villion tries to pursue Lt. Franco, the power trips the officials go on when they use their positions to get away with checkpoints and any mishaps, and the poor security system despite having CCTV were all no help to the police. They all show the side of the country that nobody wants to see. The movie would get anyone's attention from the beginning to the end. When Villion thinks that he can already relax after burying the body, he doesn’t know that someone bigger is after him. It makes the audience more interested in what else can happen to him. Although I think the staff overlooked the details of the phone that Villion uses. It was shown a couple of times and it makes the film unappealing to some audiences. Other than that, story-wise, it was well-crafted and worth almost two hours of viewing.
Redemption.
Although the movie was not perfect to its core, it was undeniably alluring. It was an action/ thriller film that shows a peak of life. Also, it reflects how power can dominate anything and how everything that you see through the naked eye is not everything. You wouldn't budge as you watched the film because the cast gives justice to the storyline
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