1. Inteeeeeense, If you want a lovey dovey story or a simple robbery movie it's not the case ! Violent, Brutality and Cruelty are word to describe this movie. SO if you are too young, or live in a cute world, or still are innocent, this movie isn't for you.
2. It's not the common movies with beautiful scene and happy end. I love the work of the director: from the very first second of the movie you can feel the dystopia of the world. I really don't want to spoil just to know, you can feel the reality of the hard life they have (or had) and the parallel world of dramaland without any censorship with Tattoo, Smoking, and Insult in every single scene.
3. The cast: I don't need to speak about Choi Woo Shik I think he totally suit to movie more than drama, he's a skilled actor. I was glad surprise with Lee Je Hoon (I didn't even recognize with his evolution since Fashion King) and with Ahh Jae Hong, we can plainly see a new face of him totally different from Be Melodramatic or Fight for my Way. Last but not least Park Hae Soo is so so so impressive, this expressionless face and psychopath idea are just stunning
4. The family meaning in this movie make us reflect a lot about it. Is family only blood member ? Is it more important than our own life ? Is friend able to remplace a mother place ?
So I hardly recommend this movie if you want to live intense moment and stressful scene. If you have a fragile and delicate heart it's not for you ehehe
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First of all, the story. Plot was quite simple, and the execution was decent. The first half was – at least for me – a little bit draggy. The second one on the other hand was really exciting. It keeps you on the edge and makes you feel anxious. Nevertheless, I think ending could be better – it left me just really frustrated.
If it comes to music and directing - those two aspects are the strong points of “Time to Hunt”. Soundtrack suits this movie perfectly. Directing is great and very artistic. In general, cinematography is extremely well made – the dystopian city is impressive and the colors! Amazing!
The acting was great, especially Park Hae Soo. He didn’t even talk much but still made the biggest impression on me. Pure gold!
Overall, it’s an okay movie. Not a masterpiece but still a really nice and thrilling watch for a night with friends or a can of beer.
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A Soulful Survival Thriller *No Spoilers*
My anticipation for this movie never waned since its filming began, why? 'cause nothing can probably go wrong in a crime thriller featuring four young talented actors, who also came with a "BONUS"! I was highly rewarded when it finally came out, the reason why I decided to delay this review till my excitement dies down, but time made it only grow on me! So I'll mention the elements I loved about this movie, may it help future viewers enjoy it as much as I did.The charm of this movie heavily lies on performance! The young cast portrays a group of boys, who are by no means professional criminals, just some lost youngsters who committed petty crimes trying to find a way to survive in a devastated economic state of a dystopian SK. Lee Je Hoon fits perfectly as (Jun Seok), more or less their gang leader who seems to have the dominant word but is also very protective of his friends. Because he is the mastermind behind their audacious try to rob a gambling den, he got the most mental suffering for involving his friends in an escape-or-die chase, his guilt keeps haunting him in form of nightmares and sometimes vivid daydreaming. Lee Je Hoon could amazingly portray recklessness, care, persistence, panic, regret, and vengeance throughout the movie. It makes me want to mark it as his third-best performance after "The Front Line" and "Bleak Night", the debut gem of same director Yoon Sung Hyun, which also starred Jung Min, whose presence is hard to ignore despite his limited screen time here as (Sang Su). Their reunion was honestly another thing to be excited about!
Besides these two, there is the more pragmatic Ki Woo (Choi Woo Sik), who cares for his family as much as he does for his friends, yet his character felt quite limited to show the actor's real potential. Indeed, Woo Sik chicness was alive (couldn’t take my eyes off him lol). We also have Jang Ho (Ahn Jae Hong) who seems to have the dearest bond with Jun Seok and the one whose actions are greatly driven by his loyalty and devotion to their friendship, his friends are basically his only family. I'm saying this because sometimes their actions are not well-calculated, in other words, seem foolish or stupid, but I couldn't complain as it's all so consistent with their personalities.
Here I have to highlight the gripping chemistry among the 4 friends, and how their mostly unspoken bond and endearing brotherhood is brilliantly expressed. Clearly, the over 2-hour long movie dedicates much of its time to keep you invested in their characters, their fears, and fates.
Most importantly, though, and the thing that really hit me so hard without even realizing it is their constant struggle with the world and facing life challenges with nowhere to escape. It's symbolized through the simple heist premise but director Yoon manages to let the feels of anxious perplexity and uneasiness seep into you. As an emotional viewer, I find this aspect praiseworthy, something that makes this movie deeper than just a typical thriller!
That doesn't mean the movie is lacking in thrill or suspense though! it was a bit slow at first but as soon as the heist begins, it turns to a nerve-wracking, almost a horror-thriller topped with plenty of gun action. Much of the tension is created by the"BONUS" (Park Hae Soo), who played the role of a terrifying ambiguous assassin “Han”. He was tasked to hunt the boys for what they stole, but the hunt will keep haunting them forever, for a twisted reason! Han’s ominous presence sent chills down my spine and I swear you'll get to see the terror in Jun Seok's eyes.
Directing and heavily manipulated lighting are other things to praise! It gave the movie a dark tone and added a new view to tropes like the bar, garage, hospital, abandoned building scenes. As others mentioned, the dystopian theme isn’t at all developed, it seemed to be there to provide reasoning for their awful decisions and bewildered fates, even though it can be easily replaced by a more realistic theme. Despite that, It for sure provided for cool yet grim settings and contributed to the dreading nature of their chase. Finally, the credit song plays to release some of the uneasy feelings about the open ending, hoping and fearing a sequel. (I keep on looping and still can't get over that song (Passing by- Ron))..
For all the things mentioned above, I give "time to hunt" a full 9! It is definitely recommended..may not be one of the best k-thrillers out there cause it felt so experimental, yet it left a big impression. I’d die to see this collaboration again!!
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Stephen Hopkins wannabe...
Best part of the movie were the cast. I don't know how a newbie director managed to score so many big talents, but he must have done something right. Unfortunately, he didn't do right for the actors. The movie: crap-fest.Characters were bunch of annoying whinny drama queens of untalented criminals. There was very little backstories and overspent bromance; I remember lots of smoking cigarettes. Story would've made more sense if it played out backward. Either that, maybe they are fishing for a sequel. Endless plot holes, dumb irresponsible male lead ruining people's lives, lazy research, overambitious director who should stick to directing and skip writing. Since Joon HoBong of PARASITE, all young directors think they can do both... tsk.
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I didn't find the idea nor the execution really original, for me what saved this one were the actors. I can truthfully say they were all very good. The relationship between the characters was also endearing and it really hit home with the idea of "family". As the other reviews said, Park Hae Soo as Han was really bone-chilling. I guess the thrilling factor was there, but again I would have like something more.
I also thing that it was a bit overly dramatized, especially in the end when it came to Joon Suk decision, it made everything a little bit in vain for me.
You could watch this movie if you are a fan of the cast, as all of them play a different role then we are used to. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a must-watch in the genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Nervous movie
It took me two days to finish the movie. I think it was a very tense movie. It was very real and made me very nervous. I'm sure I'd be more nervous if I watched this movie at the cinema. One of my favorite points of the movie is the villain. His acting was fantastic. Screenplay was not very interesting. but I was excited watching so much scenes. I think story could end shorter. I don't think I can watch such a tense movie for too long time. Cinematography and visuality were fantastic. I want to know how many years have passed. There was that at the beginning of the movie? I started to dislike uncertain endings. I think second film will come.Was this review helpful to you?
About the movie: It's mostly a thriller and a well done one! I loved the director's view in this piece, and i didn't know him but i'm already looking for his other movies. The cinematography was great, the color palette and the whole distopian city got me good! A point that i also really enjoyed was the music: it fit every scene perfectly! It's a fairly long movie, and some may think it was too much but i was so amazed by the thriller feeling that i couldn't think about how much time passed.
About the acting: I must admit I was here for Choi Wooshik, and now I'm extremely biased for Lee Jehoon. Jae Hong was also fucking great! Park Haesoo portrayed a very intimidating and psychotic killer, which i liked very much.
I recommend it, but don't try if it's not your cup of tea :)
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stop what you're doing, watch this movie right now
this movie is a f****** anxiety inducing thrill ride.the cast is amazing and some would later be casted in Parasite and Squid Game respectively. The story is just a little more complex than you're average heist movie, it's just what it needs to be. not too convoluted either. It than evolves into a cat and mouse type scenario, reminiscent of GOOD 80s action movies like Predator or Terminator. The story continues where most hollywood movies would call it quits and it elevates the story and character building so much.
where this movie really stands out is allowing it's characters to feel emotions it's really refreshing to see. The characters aren't reduced to super cool, always level-headed and stoic anti-heroes archetypes. but flawed human beings, quite a rare occurance int this kind of movie. (for example: Wrath of Man/Cash Truck 2021, Jason Statham)
the music is excellent, in one scene in particular, The sound of a car alarm echoing through a parking garage seamlessly transitions into the soundtrack, and you realize you were listing to the soundtrack all along.
I showed this to a few friends and they loved it, I even showed it to my dad who hates watching Asian movies and usually refuses my recommendations with some utterance about "the Squintys" (he can't help what he is) and he loved it too.
We need more movies like this, that will take us for a ride.
9/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Excellent cast, poor storyline
I guess as many, I watched this novice because of the cast! No need to mention all great actors in this movie and I loved Lee Je Hoon in Taxi Driver. I found that he fits well this type of roles in action movies!This story started well, then there is no storyline but a chain of action & violence. Nothing that wasn’t already done and I have to admit that American or European movies of this genre are by far more entertaining.
The vilain is a vilain for no valid reason, there could have been a plot behind the hard drives with VIP guests & politicians or even with the police .... nothing but a succession of gunfire until the end. The chase finally ends when suddenly the most logical thing happened ... several armed men cane to kill him.
And the end ..... I start to hate these obvious, quick, not thought ends just to give a hint that there will be a suite! What could it be? Vilain vs hero part 2 ? Probably!
If you want to play something in the background while you do something else ... it’s a movie for you!
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The cast is excellent but the film isn't.
The cast is excellent but the film isn't. That's why I'm a bit disappointed with this title.The beginning was pretty good. It showed well-made scenery, which made me excited about this film. However, after an hour it got boring. And it was boring for sixty minutes straight. The ending was better than the scenes before, but that's still not it.
I feel as if the plot of this movie is truncated, and too simple. In the end, you can easily deduce what happened to Gi Hoon, but what about his parents? Why did these people go to them? Considering the whole film and that Han was in pursuit of the main characters because he made it his goal, it was soo out of context. This part really doesn't make sense to me.
Also, the film was very predictable. It was obvious to me what would happen to the main characters.
At least the background music was good.
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Can you be hopeful in a hopeless world?
Time to hunt is a scifi crime thriller and is the most anticipated film of 2020. This is generally because of the A list cast But more on that later. I have sooo much thoughts on this film both good and bad, let's start.As soon as it starts, we are introduced to a dark and eerie society and gives off that atmosphere just right. The cinematography was stunning and made us feel that we we're living the dystopian world with them.
It was also shot well it was able to advance the story, show the hopeless world, reveal character motivations, and create emotions. The music also guides and invokes the suspense when it is needed and it heavily enhanced the film. The acting was amazing as well, they gave the right emotions for each scene that you can't help but wow. Furthermore it was a new side to everyone, it was a different Lee Je Hun in architecture 101 and a different Choi Woo Shik in parasite.(also the other casts)
My favorite parts were the heist scene and one towards the end where our main experiences hallucinations. I also loved how it wasn't super dark, there was a lot of humor points to balance it out. Furthermore, The pacing was great for like 2/3 off the film, I was always in the edge of my seat. Their are small details in the film that may seem like it isn't important but comes to play later on, so pay attention!!
The premise was tackled well, the general notion of the film is about friendship, sacrifices, and regrets of a person. Even if it seem like it wasn't the focus it was still delivered subtlety. The story was nothing special, we've seen so much dystopian films in the west but not as much in Korea, as a standalone it was top tier. Plot was also top tier until the last 50 minutes of the show, which I will talk about on the next part.
For the bad parts, I have quite the complaints.
1. The ending
I did say that my favorite scene was around the ending scene but this is different. The ending action sequences was very unsatisfying that I could have imagined 3 better scenario's this might be just personal preference though. However I'm not going to go deep into it because I want this reveiw to be spoiler free
2. The last 50 minutes
The plot progression and pacing went so slow for whaaaat?? this would have been better of around 95-100mins instead of the 140mins
3. Predictable and no shock value
I get it this isn't supposed to be plot twist left and rights but it went just the way it's supposed to, it was too focused on the chase instead of the characters development. Which leads to me not having enough connection between them, because we weren't shown anything, we just randomly follow these 3 friends and their heist.
Overall: time to hunt was an enjoyable thriller but honestly it could have been better with everything they had. I enjoyed the watch but not something I would be rewatching anytime soon. Don't get me wrong I still do recommend it to everyone it was a great film and landing on my favorite Korean thrillers
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