Hunt Review: A Confusing, But Engaging Spy Thriller

The Hunt is, so to speak, a film with great ambition . The new South Korean drama It is a spy thriller set in the 1980s. It provides points of view when two security personnel try to determine each other's motivations. In terms of structure and plot, the film shares many similarities with double agent thrillers . In terms of visuals and scale , however, The Hunt feels like a successful thriller like films like The Bourne Ultimatum or Argo .

It's a difficult balance for any film, especially for an aspiring director like Hunt . It's amazing that Hunt is doing so well. Hunt is a confusing and unpredictable spy thriller directed by Squid Game star Lee Jong Jae and serves as one of the film's two lead actors. In its 131-minute running time, the film's plot often wobbles and wobbles under the weight of complex designs, but it never collapses.

That The Hunt never ended is no testament to the film's stunning visual style, thanks to established auteurs like Paul Greengrass and Park Chan-wook, as well as its relentless pace and well-chosen set design. Anyone who gets through the film's many unnecessary twists and turns will likely be overcome by Hunt's incredibly impressive final third.

Chaos (and style) reigned

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Based on the screenplay by Lee and Cho Seung Hee, The Hunt begins with total chaos. The first part of the film follows Park Byung-ho (Lee), the head of the foreign affairs department of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung), the head of the domestic department of the KCIA. When they and their colleagues fight with each other. Stop the attack on the president of South Korea. In the 1980s, protests flooded the streets and buildings of Washington.

As for the opening sequence, Hunt quickly establishes the constant fast pace he expects throughout, as well as his frenzied, mostly moving visual style. But, unlike many Paul Greengrass imitators, Lee never abandons his audience's sense of geography or continuity just to heighten the film's chaotic aesthetic.

Hunt's action sequences, including the first assassination attempt in Washington, DC, are filled with rapid fire and gunfire, but thanks to Kim Sang-bum's precise editing, they are never abrupt or confusing.

A complicated story

The same cannot be said of Hunt's plot, which is difficult to follow even in a film as slow-moving as his. However, Hunt moves at a surprising pace from start to finish, often conveying key information so quickly and casually that it's easy to get caught up in the film's web of secrets and lies. Those who pay attention will be able to stay with the film even when the story is too complicated and used for its own sake.

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In an effort to create as much action as possible, Hunt's climactic sequence takes too many twists and turns. The final sequence of the film will be particularly difficult for the director and editor, and will include low-quality CGI effects that are not present in the rest of Hunt . Hunt seems in danger of going off the rails, but the film not only makes up for it in the final 10 minutes, it's also incredibly poignant and bittersweet.

A promising first

It is also based on the lead roles of Hunt Lee and Jung. As the film's competing security chiefs, the two actors have the difficult task of concealing the motivations and skepticism of their multiple characters and portraying authentic and varied roles. Fortunately, Lee and Jung manage to pull off this difficult task, creating images so drawn out and clashing that Hunt's twisted narrative is firmly anchored in their characters' contrasting perspectives.

Hunt's success ultimately proves that if he could get his hands on a slightly shorter and cleaner script, he could make a stronger film. Nevertheless, this is an impressive directorial debut, showing that Hunt is a very confident and technically skilled director. It's part of the adrenaline-fueled genre of filmmaking that never quite hits the mark, but offers a fun and exciting ride.

Hunt now plays in theaters and on commission.

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