User reviews

In "Hunt," Lee Jung-jae stars and directs this week's explosive blockbuster about double and triple crosses in a spy game between North and South Korea in the 1980s. The film is about men in well-tailored suits who must constantly determine if the armed fellow next to them is on their side or possibly fighting for the enemy. While some of the action sequences are well-staged, particularly the final explosive one, the convoluted screenplay by Jo Seung-Hee ultimately makes the film too shallow to recommend. Lee's non-stop hyperactive cutting and moving camera don't help, and the film becomes increasingly difficult to care about narratively. Although there are a couple of memorable scenes, it's impossible to even keep track of who's getting shot.

Hunt is a long overstuffed espionage action thriller that just stays an espionage movie on the surface, focusing more on the action thriller. This too almost work as the suspense related to Kim and Park is maintained well throughout and the reveal about both of them pays off strongly. But the screenplay remains uneven whenever the plot thickens and the drama feels overstuffed.

The North vs South Korea stuff when it comes to spy movies almost always ensures to deliver an intriguing thriller while focusing more on action. Hunt falls in the same category, firmly aided by the lead performances. But the spy game gets a bit too convoluted as the story progresses. I am not much aware of the historical accuracy at the times this movie's story is set in but nevertheless the narrative didn't alienate me.

The scenes pitting Kim and Park against each other is far more entertaining than what the two characters are made to do in the final act. This again reduces the impact of that climax. The two action blocks do stand out for all the explosive stunts.