Review | Hit-and-Run Squad film review: Korean crime drama’s strong female characters can’t save it from its flaws
- Hit-and-Run Squad puts a refreshing female spin on its story of police corruption and professional motor-racing
- But Han Jun-hee’s film is held back by a procedural plot, slow pace and misguided ending
2.5/5 stars
In the testosterone-soaked world of Korean crime dramas, Han Jun-hee’s Hit-and-Run Squad puts a refreshing female spin on its story of police corruption and professional motor-racing, only to lose its nerve on the final lap.
After the critical success of Han’s female-driven indie Coin Locker Girl, the film follows internal affairs officer Eun Shi-yeon (Gong Hyo-jin) as she is demoted to the low-stakes hit-and-run division, following a botched attempt to expose her corrupt police commissioner (Yoo Yeon-soo) for taking bribes.
The bribes are coming from by JC Motors boss and F1 champion Jung Jae-chul (Cho Jung-seok), who is also implicated in a deadly traffic collision. Eun’s plan is to crack that case and close the net on her suspect, but to do that, she must work with oddball traffic cop Suh Min-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol).
Suggestions that Hit-and-Run Squad might be the Korean answer to the Fast and Furious franchise are quickly dismissed. Despite the motorsports setting and proliferation of high-octane vehicles, the film refuses to shift its procedural plot into anything approaching top gear. Even its climactic car chase, as Jung and Suh square off in customised performance cars, plays out at a laughably pedestrian pace.