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Hunt (film)

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Wikipedia article




'Hunt' is a 2022 South Korean espionage action film directed by Lee Jung-jae in his feature directorial debut, starring Lee and Jung Woo-sung. It was invited to the non-competitive Midnight Screening section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It was released theatrically on August 10, 2022 in South Korea.

Synopsis



In the 1980s, when the military dictatorship reached its peak, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho (Lee Jung-jae) and Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung) are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy, known as Donglim, who is deeply embedded within their agency. When the spy begins leaking top secret intel that could jeopardize national security, the two units are each assigned to investigate each other. In this tense situation where if they cannot find the mole, they may be accused themselves, Pyong-ho and Jung-do slowly start to uncover the truth and become aware of an unthinkable plot to assassinate the South Korean president.

Historical background



Film deals with actual historical events happened in 1980s; May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement (1980), defection of North Korean pilot Lee Ung-pyeong (1983), and Aung San terrorist attack (1983).

Cast



* Lee Jung-jae as Park Pyong-ho

: KCIA Foreign Unit Chief who has been working for the agency for 13 years, and is a highly respected agent.

* Jung Woo-sung as Kim Jung-do

: KCIA Domestic Unit Chief who is a former military officer.

* Jeon Hye-jin as Bang Joo-kyung

: KCIA Foreign Unit's ace agent who works alongside Park Pyong-ho.

* Heo Sung-tae as Jang Cheol-seong

: KCIA Domestic Unit agent and a loyal subordinate of Kim Jung-do.

* Go Yoon-jung as Jo Yoo-jeong

: A college student who has been under Park Pyong-ho's protection and guidance.

* Kim Jong-soo as Director Ahn

: Newly appointed KCIA director and a former military officer.

* Jung Man-sik as Agent Yang

: An ambitious agent of Park Pyong-hos Foreign Unit.

;Supporting

* Kang Kyung-heon as Kim Jeong-do's wife

;Special appearance

* Park Sung-woong as Tokyo branch agent 1

* Jo Woo-jin as Tokyo branch agent 2

* Kim Nam-gil as Tokyo branch agent 3

* Ju Ji-hoon as Tokyo branch agent 4

* Hwang Jung-min as Lieutenant Lee

* Lee Sung-min as Cho Won-sik

* Yoo Jae-myung as CEO Choi

Production



Development

The film was first known as a movie titled 'Namsan' in which Lee Jung-jae decided to take the lead role in 2017 and had to cancel the production before filming due to various circumstances. Then Lee himself refined its script and prepared for 4 years. In addition to directing, starring and contributing to the screenplay, he also co-produced the film.

Filming

Filming began on May 8, 2021 and concluded on November 13, 2021.

Post production (re-editing for international release)

On August 3, 2022, Lee revealed that he re-edited the film after Cannes screening and the new version will be screened at Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premier. However the original will be used for the theatrical release in South Korea.

To help global audiences get a better understanding of the political era depicted in the film, Lee revised several key lines and scenes which made some actors re-record the dialogues. Explaining, Lee stated, When writing the script of 'Hunt,' I set younger generations in South Korea who learn about the era from history textbooks as the target audience. I thought foreign viewers would be the same,... But at Cannes, about 30% of foreign media reviews complained that it was hard for them to keep up with the story, as they didnt know about Korean politics in the 1980s.

Release



The film premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2022 at the Lumire Theater, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. It was released in theaters on August 10, 2022 by Megabox. The film's distribution rights were pre-sold to 207 territories. The film was invited to 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and will be screened at the Gala Presentations section in September 2022. Magnolia Pictures acquired the distribution rights for a U.S. theatrical release in December of 2022.

Reception



Critical response

On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

International



Pete Hammond in his review for 'Deadline' praised the direction, cinematography and performance of main and supporting cast. Peter Debruge writing for 'Variety' described 'Hunt' as a "long but lightning-paced film with a jolt of adrenaline" and appriciated Lee's direction and acting. Lou Thomas of BFI wrote that the film is packed with "thrillingly violent action scenes and jaw-dropping shocks" but "Lee occasionally forgets to keep things comprehensible or believable" and called the movie fun to watch. David Rooney writing for 'The Hollywood Reporter' stated that the film lacks character depth and storytelling coherence and called it "an increasingly frustrating movie that loses its way amid a dense thicket of plot complications, double-dealings, counterplans and surprise revelations." David Ehrlich of 'IndieWire' graded the film as C, described it as "hopelessly convoluted espionage thriller that doesnt tell a story" and stated "Lees debut is little more than a chattering Pez dispenser full of plot twists." In his review for 'South China Morning Post', Clarence Tsui wrote that the film is "excessively bombastic and muddled" except for history junkies and hardcore action-movie fans, called the storyline messy and confusing for audiences who are unfamiliar with the historical setting of the film, and gave 2 stars out of 5.

South Korean



Kim Seon-woo reviewing for JTBC praised the film's great visuals, detailed mise-en-scne, and spectacular action scenes and added that the large and small reversals in the plot maintain the tension of the film until the very end. Ryu Ji-yoon writing for 'Dailian' praised the portrayal of Park Pyeong-do and Kim Jeong-do, who have the same goal but different methods, being densely designed to fill the cinematic imagination and fun and added, "It is not difficult to understand historical events without prior knowledge, but the more you know, the more you see." Choi Young-joo of 'No Cut News' stated, "although it is called an espionage action genre, it is regrettable that the center of gravity is focused on the rushing 'action' rather than 'espionage' that goes back and forth in suspicion" but praised the film's sounds, sets and props that made the audience feel the atmosphere of the 1980s and the direction of Lee who reached his goal with a formidable theme and content. Song Kyung-won of 'Cine21' outlined the film as "a film that takes a motif from a true story, but makes the most of the historical imagination, and is essentially focused on action rather than espionage" and concluded, "Despite some expediency that fills in the holes in the narrative, it is a decent debut that blends historical imagination and commercial achievements."

Box office

The film was released on 1548 screens on August 11, 2022 in South Korea. The opening recorded 210,000 admissions and topped the South Korean box office. The film surpassed 1 million admissions in 4 days of release and 2 million admissions in 7 days of release. On the 12th day, 'Hunt' became the third South Korean film in 2022 to cross 3 million admissions. On the 25th day, it surpassed 4 million admissions.

, it is the 3rd highest-grossing Korean film of 2022 with gross of US$31,932,863 and 4,286,629 admissions.

Accolades



References




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