Dingdong Dantes in “A Hard Day”
Law Fajardo’s version of the Korean action flick “A Hard Day” has been “Filipinized,” the director declared.
When he first saw the original version (released in 2014), Fajardo said he liked how it was made, particularly its concept, pacing and editing. “It’s definitely my type of film. But while we were doing it, I realized that there were details in the Korean version that weren’t applicable to the Philippine setting,” the director said, citing as example the differences between Korean and Filipino funeral rites. “So, when I was tapped to direct the new adaptation, I made certain adjustments. What Filipino viewers should see should apply to our own realities.”
Fajardo, who helmed films such as “Kultado,” “Amok” and “Imbisibol,” also said he hoped that with this film, more producers would be encouraged to make more action films “to provide jobs to industry people involved in stunts, pyrotechnic and armory. Many of them lost their jobs when producers stopped making action films and opted to bankroll rom-coms (romantic comedy).”
“A Hard Day,” starring Dingdong Dantes, is a finalist in the first Summer Metro Manila Film Festival that has been rescheduled indefinitely following the lockdown brought about by the new coronavirus disease pandemic. —MARINEL CRUZ
Dingdong (left) with Kedebon Colimand Janno Gibbs