Director and star Lee Jung-jae mixes action with espionage but serves neither as well as it could, but this film opens an opportunity to learn more about the two Koreas in modern history.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 25, 2023

There are some sparks to Lee Jung-jae’s directorial talents, Hunt is bombastically muddled and doesn’t know if it wants the audience to take it seriously or indulge in its explosive subplot-covered demeanor.

| Original Score: C- | Jul 25, 2023

But his intended modern espionage epic, inspired by real events, has far too many storylines thrown into the mix.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 12, 2023

Hunt sometimes gets too convoluted for its own good, but it offers a mostly engaging mystery for viewers who have the attention span and interest to follow this twist-filled spy thriller that's set in the 1980s.

| Mar 11, 2023

A thriller that may not stand out among its most famous counterparts, but that, speaking of this industry [South Korean] is already synonymous with great quality.

| Jan 9, 2023

Politics, espionage and action come together in Lee's directorial debut. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jan 6, 2023

Electric... shows influences of Hong Kong action movies with fortuitous direction decisions in scenes that go beyond simple coverage. However, the script is not up to par. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 4, 2023

This fast-paced, well-acted spy thriller deserves an audience.

| Dec 22, 2022

While it’s action-packed and cinematographically competent, the film is like a “greatest hits” compilation of historical tropes from 1980’s South Korea, one that fails to innovate upon the era’s historiography.

| Dec 16, 2022

What helps sell the wild premise are two terrific performances from Lee and Jung. That they are equally matched is key, especially as the focus and perspective subtly -- and not so subtly -- shifts as the story progresses.

| Dec 9, 2022

All of these things were huge [historical] events during that period, if you know all of this stuff, this movie is way better.

| Dec 6, 2022

Massive action film... it moves real fast.

| Dec 6, 2022

Lee’s making finely tuned action here; organizing history lessons isn’t his job. But the ferocity of Hunt’s combined action and momentum lets him bristle over past atrocities even if those atrocities aren’t his focal point.

| Original Score: 7.0/10 | Dec 6, 2022

A complex spy thriller that doesn’t quite stick the landing, this is nevertheless a terrific directorial debut for Lee and an enjoyable experience for us.

| Dec 5, 2022

The script fails to stand on its own, so it is up to Lee Jung-jae to craft a compelling narrative through his directing and performance.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 3, 2022

“Hunt” works fine as a slam-bang action movie; but at heart it’s more of a cautionary tale.

| Dec 2, 2022

All of the twists and third-act revelations generate surface tension to offset a lack of meaningful depth or intrigue.

| Dec 2, 2022

Hunt has some excellent bang-bang escapism, but it's ultimately too shallow to recommend.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Dec 2, 2022

Though Hunt won’t become a paragon of action cinema, the moments where it lets loose still pack plenty of potent hits.

| Original Score: B- | Dec 2, 2022

A dense narrative bursting with elaborate red herrings proves an unmanageable mess as the film wears on.

| Dec 2, 2022