Hunt

A Korean spy thriller based on real events of the 1980s. A complicated relationship between two national intelligence unit commanders, the search for a North Korean spy within their own ranks and of course some personal skeletons in the closet of all the important characters. Jung-jae Lee delivers a terrific performance as writer, director and lead. The action scenes are good, as are the interrogations and competitive rivalries. It could have done with better drama and the middle drags a bit, but it's still a great romp with a gritty final inferno and a gut-wrenching ending. Great cinematography and great urgent music. (25/08/2023)

A fine-tuned 80s spy thriller, with brilliant grey camera filters, cool retro sets and ambiguous characters. The Departed meets Heat with an original eastern feel. The script could perhaps use a little more work, and some of the editing may be too dynamic and not very clear, but these are minor flaws in the beauty of this Korean film that has not let Hollywood shame it. And the gunfight in the middle that pays some homage to Michael Mann will warm the hearts of the hardcore fans. (18/06/2023)

Squid Game star Lee Jeong-jae tries his hand at directing for the first time and delivers a solid spy political thriller based on true events. Hunt is set in the 1980s where two top agents who are also rivals with each other try to track down a spy from North Korea, I'd call it a high stakes thriller. There are double agents, infiltrators, brutal interrogations, temporary alliances, double-crosses, lies, dictatorial pawns and horrifying revelations. For non-Korean audiences the plot will be slightly convoluted, there is so much information that it is difficult to navigate at times and multiple viewings seem a necessity, but I still managed to enjoy the film. The two rival Korean stars in the limelight, Lee Jeong-jae and Jeong Woo Seong, are my favourites and Hwang Jung-min is a delight in a smaller role. The performances are superb, you can see all the money, there's one impressive twist and the action is good too, though I have minor reservations about it. The trailer touted a proper action load and unfortunately that doesn't happen, there's less action than I would have liked and it's hardly brutal at all. Technically, however, it's on a high level and the shootouts have a lot of pizzazz (the shootout in the building is awesome). The best part is of course the finale, where they plan the assassination of the dictator and it's a 15 minute action romp with tons of dead bodies. So for me, traditionally good Korea and a well deserved success. 7.5/10. (22/10/2022)