The Hunt (2016 film)

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
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	29 June 2016 (2016-06-29)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean

Plot

When 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

• 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

Filming 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]