Operación Hunt

I just saw the movie "Hunt" today, Sep 6 at Major Cineplex here in Pattaya, Thailand, liking it, finding it pretty OK.

The director/lead actor Lee (Chief Park), does a pretty good for this one being his first directing job. The plot is a bit crazy, but we all know how volatile Korean politics is and has always been.

Acting is top-notch from my point of view, very believable and the torture scenes are realistic, pretty well done.

The car chases are not bad at all, well inserted and needed in the context of the story.

All-in-all, a pretty OK flick that i think you'd enjoy it, if you like spy/action movies. Enjoy, and regards from Thailand!

This action-packed film of non-stop double crossing was amazingly the work of a first-time feature film director, none other than lead actor Lee Jung-jae himself. Lee is a veteran leading man since the mid-90s, in acclaimed films like "The Affair" (1998), "Il Mare" (2000), "The Housemaid" (2010), "The Thieves" (2012), and "Along with the Gods" (2017, 2018). The hit Netflix series "Squid Game" (2021) made him a household name worldwide.

Lee was able to maneuver the complexity of this script (which he also co-wrote) like a pro. The story also went back and forth in time for both of the two lead characters to further elucidate (or maybe confuse) their relationship with other supporting characters (like Park's protectiveness for a certain college student) or their motivations for present actions (like Kim's experience as a soldier during the Gwangju massacre).

Lee also proved to be very adept in directing his major action scenes. Beginning from that fracas chasing the gunmen down in an American auditorium, the frenetic car chase and shootout in the streets of Tokyo after failing to secure a North Korean asset, and the climactic explosive showdown of assassins in a Bangkok palace. The way Lee executed the various scenes of violent interrogations and outright torture was realistically disturbing.

Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung have been very good friends since they were both cast in "City of the Rising Sun" in 1998. Therefore, even if they portrayed bitter rival KCIA operatives who hated each others guts, the two charismatic actors have a powerful screen chemistry together. It would seem that Director Lee allowed Jung to play the showier role of Kim. Lee made sure that even if both lead roles were flawed, you will empathize with both. You will keep hanging on undecided who the real good guy or bad guy was until the gripping finale.

I think the story line is too complicated for a 2 hour movie, may be better for a 6 episode series so that the story can develop at a slower pace and viewers have the time to process and understand. Maybe it's ok for Koreans, but for me as a foreigner with little knowledge of their history, I find it difficult to take in the whos and whys. I have many questions while watching, why he is doing this, why he is suspecting them, etc etc.

On the whole this movie is not bad for a first time director. Action scenes and acting are great. I like the 2 male leads and other supporting actors are good too.

No pun intended - and of course this is not about hunting animals. Also it does not just have one hidden truth - there will be multiple reveals here. And the whole thing is based on history, on real events (as a friend of mine told me). Which makes it almost necessary to dig in and find out more about actual events (because as happens often, this surely has done some heightened reality, which the beginning suggest too).

The characters are well drawn, but also quite complicated. Also for people who may not watch too many Korean or Asian movies in general and have to concentrate on the subtitles, they may have some issues to distinguish the two main characters from time to time - no pun intended here either. Being confused about them may help elevate the suspense even further actually. Guessing game and all that.

Action scenes are more than well shot and the twists will keep you guessing from start to finish. Just do not expect this to ... resolve things the way you want it too. South Koread has a dark history too - they were apparently not always as free as they are now. And the movie is not shy about that fact. As it is not shy about blood and violence (good effects) ... not for the faint hearted, but really well done.

Tensions simmer on the Korean Peninsula in 1980 as a couple of lead government agents from different divisions attempt to smoke out a mole within their ranks. With infiltrators from the North, double agents, temporary alliances, repression of dissent, controlled leaks, and brutal interrogations, nothing is what it seems. Beneath the surface of all the bloodshed, payoffs, and lies, the two men nourish hope that - deep down - their goals are the same. Neither one wishes for the gruesome violence against the Korean people to continue, but the other does not know.

This is the directorial debut for Lee Jung-jae, of Squid Game fame. He was present at this Toronto International Film Festival screening and was asked why he thinks Korean culture is so popular now. "It is our mix of sorrow and joy," he said "we do emotions well." In 1980 there was a military coup in Korea and thousands of innocent people were killed in the crossfire. Like the times, the film is tense and taut with conviction and emotion. It was hard for me to follow all the changes in tone, but I was enthralled by the action. The film first appeared at Cannes and opens to wider audiences in December.