Actor Jo Woo-jin takes the leading role in the suspense filled movie 'Hard Hit'

▲ This photo provided by CJ ENM shows a scene from movie "Hard Hit." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- Actor Jo Woo-jin, who has established himself with unique supporting roles on the big screens and in TV series, has gained his first major leading role in a car action film, "Hard Hit."

During the online premiere of "Hard Hit" on the 20th, Jo Woo-jin said, "I so excited and I never seen such a powerful scenario for a movie like this one," adding, "It sounds like a violent expression, but I felt as if the scenario was dragging me by my collar."

"Hard Hit" is a car action thriller set in the heart of downtown Busan, where a bank official is being threatened by a terrorist. 

As Seong-gyu (played by Jo Woo-jin) is on his way to drop his kids off to school, he gets a strange phone call with an unknown caller ID, and the message Seong-gyu recieves is, "the bomb will explode as soon as you get off the car." Seong-gyu, who is trapped in a car with his daughter Hye-in (played by Lee Jae-in) and can't hang up or get out of the car, speeds around Busan. The title "Hard Hit" in Korean also means 'call restricted' or 'call restriction'. 

Expectations of the movie are rising as people are looking forward to Jo Woo-jin's first leading role after giving a memorable performance as the supporting role in dramas "Mr. Sunshine" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," as well as movies such as "Seo Bok," "The Book of Fish," and "Collectors."

Asked about whether the actor felt burdensome about leading the movie, Jo said, "I was immensly burdened and I was constantly worrying whenever I went on set.. I was thinking of ways I could overcome it, but I decided to concentrate and immerse myself in every scene."

Seong-gyu in the movie is a cold character, but as he drives a car with a bomb planted underneath, the atmosphere gets hotter and he realizes the importance of his family, which he has neglected over the years.

Jo described his filming experience as "a sausage on a hotplate" saying, "I was so immersed in the film for about three months, and I often woke up surprised. I didn't realize when I was filming, but when I was in the process of getting out of my character, I felt like I had done my best."

Actress Lee Jae-in, who plays Jo Woo-jin's daughter Hye-in, said, "Hye-in is a little awkward with her dad as an adolescent, but her relationship changes as she goes through this incident."

Actor Ji Chang-wook took the role as the blackmailer, Jin-woo, who threatens Seong-gyu and Hye-in in the car. The actor evokes fear with a low voice, while deeply conveying Jin-woo's multi-layered feelings in his hidden story.

Director Kim Chang-ju, who won the 35th The Blue Dragon Awards and 50th Grand Bell Awards for his work on a number of films, including "The Terror, Live" (2013) and "A Hard Day" (2014). "Hard Hit" is the debut of Director Kim's feature film.

Director Kim said, "I wanted to make a movie where the entire audience feels like being on a roller coaster," adding, "I thought it was important not only to have a simple thrill but also to have an intense experience of fear."

"I have received calls with unknown caller IDs, and I have always had a sense of fear as to why these people would hide the numbers. I was also curious about who was calling, so there was always this mixed feeling about these calls," he said. "This movie started off with that feeling."

"Hard Hit" is a work of great speed. Director Kim said that the scene taken at Gunam-ro, Haeundae, which was also released in the trailer, was able to happen only after he persuaded merchants after merchants as well as directing the scene on the roof of a very tall building. Kim also said he worked hard to capture not only the action but also the horror of the moment shown through facial expression of the character.

"We tried to create an experience for the audience as if they were in the car. I wanted it to be realistic and vivid, so I tried hard to make a point that condenses energy and explosions rather than just being fast-paced," he said. "I hope everyone watching the movie in the theaters feel the strong and overwhelming thrill."

"Hard Hit" will be released in June.

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