The Hunt (Korean: 사냥; RR: Sanyang) is a 2016 South Korean action thriller film directed by Lee Woo-cheol, written by Cheon Jin-woo, and starring Cho Jin-woong and Ahn Sung-ki. The film was launched by Lotte Entertainment, South Korea’s second largest film conglomerate, in March 2016. It was produced by Kim Han-min, the director of The Admiral: Roaring Currents, the biggest film ever at the Korean box office.[1][2] Most of the filming for The Hunt took place in a mountainous region of Paju in Gyeonggi Province, which contains military bases; the crew had to obtain permissions from more than 10 military units prior to filming. Because of the emphasis on hunting and guns, the actors also had to finish a basic firearms course and practice at shooting ranges.[3]
| The Hunt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lee Woo-cheol |
| Screenplay by | Cheon Jin-woo |
| Produced by | Kim Han-min |
| Starring | Ahn Sung-ki Cho Jin-woong Han Ye-ri Kwon Yul |
Production company | BigStone Pictures |
| Distributed by | Lotte Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Plot
editWhen Dong-geun leads a group of armed men to mine newfound gold in a remote mountain area, the group comes into conflict with an old woman, who claims that her sons owns the land and the gold. The woman is killed during the argument; her granddaughter Kim Yang-soon and local hunter Moon Ki-sung subsequently get caught up in the conflict, with Dong-geun commanding the gold seekers to flush out the witnesses and Moon using his hunting skills to protect his neighbors. Moon, the only survivor of a mining accident that left him traumatized and isolated, often remembers the dying wish from a fellow miner to protect Yang-soon, the miner's daughter. The remainder of the story focuses on the deadly cat-and-mouse game between Moon and the gang.[3][4][5]
Cast
edit- Cho Jin-woong as Park Dong-geun and Myeong (twin brothers)
- Ahn Sung-ki as Moon Ki-sung
- Han Ye-ri as Kim Yang-soon
- Ye Soo-jung as Yang-soon's grandmother
- Jin Seon-kyu as Yang-soon's father
- Son Hyun-joo as Detective Son
- Shim Yi-young as Lee Geum-Ja
- Kwon Yul as Maeng Joon-Ho
- Park Byung-eun as Kwak Jong-Pil
- Han Jae-young as Kim Chang-Sik
- Kim Yoon-sung as Son Ki-Wook
- Jo Dae-hee as Lee Pil-Ho
- Cha Soon-bae as Choi Byung-Soon
- Shin Dong-mi as Moon Jung-Sook
- Yang Seo-yeon as Yang-Soon (young)
- Lee Sang-Hwa as Young-Soo
- Lee Hae-young as Moon Dae-guk
- Heo Joon-seok as Police Corporal Kim
Release and reception
editFilming began September 13, 2015 and finished December 15, 2015.[6] The film was released on June 29, 2016 and opened at number 1 at the South Korean box office on its first day, attracting more than 640,000 viewers nationwide; it dropped to number 2 at the box office on its second day.[7][8] The film grossed $4,422,347 at the South Korea box office[9] and received mixed reviews, with the actors' performances generally receiving praise.[10][11] Han Cinema’s William Schwartz criticized The Hunt as being “excessively complicated” due to the character relationships and the use of flashbacks.[12] South Korea’s NewsTomato praised the actors’ performances and the film’s sustained suspense, and criticized flaws in the story.[13]
References
edit- ^ Kil, Sonia (2016-03-14). "FilMart: Lotte Launches Kim Han-min's 'The Hunt'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ Kim, Bum-seok (8 June 2016). "Producer Kim Han-min will follow up the success of 'Myeongryang' with 'The Hunt'". Newsen.
- ^ a b "The Hunt". Daum Movies. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ Park, Jae-hwan (31 May 2016). "Gold Hunting, Human Hunting in Chase Thriller 'The Hunt' - Production Report". Star Entertainment.
- ^ Park, Jae-hwan (19 May 2016). "Ahn Sung-ki and Cho Jin-woong, 'I shouldn't have climbed that mountain'". Star Entertainment.
- ^ Park, Soo-jin (20 May 2016). "Cho Jin-woong, Aan Sung-gi, Son Hyun-joo and Han Ye-lee's film 'The Hunt' teaser notice (video)". HuffPost Korea.
- ^ Kim, Soo-jung (1 July 2016). "'The Hunt' receives a harsh rating attack". TV Report.
- ^ Bae, Seonyoung (1 August 2016). "Discussing 'The Hunt' actor Cho Jin-woong and the story's weaknesses". Chosun Daily Report.
- ^ "South Korea Box Office for The Hunt (2016)". 'The Numbers. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Kim, Jong-gil (30 June 2016). "'The Hunt' actors do hunting, the movie looks like fishing". Asia Today.
- ^ Lee, Hye-rim (4 July 2016). "16 hours, a human hunt begins with entangled desires…Movie 'The Hunt'". CheonJi News.
- ^ Schwartz, William (2 July 2016). "HanCinema's Film Review 'The Hunt'". HanCinema.
- ^ Ham, Sang-bum (30 June 2016). "'The Hunt', a desperate chase in the mountains". NewsTomato.