# Hunt (헌트) (2022 film)
**Hunt** (헌트) is a 2022 South Korean espionage action film directed by [Lee Jung-jae](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jung-jae) in his feature directorial debut, in which two rival chiefs of South Korea's KCIA hunt a North Korean mole embedded in their own agency and uncover a plot to assassinate the South Korean president.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) Lee also stars, wrote the screenplay, and produced the film.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/lee-jungjae-wears-all-the-hats-in-soontodebut-hunt/11755895)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer / star | Lee Jung-jae, in his directorial debut; he also produced[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/lee-jungjae-wears-all-the-hats-in-soontodebut-hunt/11755895) |
| Lead cast | Lee Jung-jae as Park Pyong-ho (Foreign Unit chief); Jung Woo-sung as Kim Jung-do (Domestic Unit chief); Jeon Hye-jin, Heo Sung-tae, Go Youn-jung[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) |
| Setting | 1980s South Korea, against the backdrop of the cold war between the two Koreas; circumstances based on actual events, the story itself entirely fictional[3](https://cdn-media.festival-cannes.com/film_film/0002/75/eab78959663a6a8b599e9e62e3b5ceed9f4ce19c.pdf) |
| South Korean release | August 10, 2022; 4,350,029 admissions[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=57907) |
| International release | World premiere at Cannes (Lumière auditorium, May 2022); US limited release December 2, 2022 via Magnet Releasing, grossing $26.0K[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/lee-jung-jae-movie-hunt-magnolia-pictures/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) |
| Critical scores | 68% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (56 reviews); 55 Metascore on Metacritic (22 reviews)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6931658/criticreviews/) |
| Runtime | 125 minutes per Korean sources; 2h 11m (131 min) per Rotten Tomatoes[8](https://www.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_009329) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
After a high-ranking North Korean official requests asylum, KCIA Foreign Unit chief Park Pyong-ho and Domestic Unit chief Kim Jung-do are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy, known as Donglim, who is deeply embedded within their agency. When the spy begins leaking top secret intelligence that could jeopardize national security, the two units are each assigned to investigate the other. If they cannot find the mole, they may be accused themselves; as the two chiefs close in on the truth, they confront a plot to assassinate the South Korean president.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022)
The film takes place in the 1980s against the backdrop of the cold war between the two Koreas. According to the Cannes festival materials, the circumstances surrounding the film are based on actual events in history, while the story itself is a work of fiction in its entirety.[3](https://cdn-media.festival-cannes.com/film_film/0002/75/eab78959663a6a8b599e9e62e3b5ceed9f4ce19c.pdf) Several reviewers noted that the film rewards familiarity with Korean modern history of the period; the Los Angeles Times critic Tim Cogshell wrote that "all of these things were huge [historical] events during that period, if you know all of this stuff, this movie is way better."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022)
## Production
Lee Jung-jae, an actor since his 1994 debut in Bae Chang-ho's *The Young Man*, began developing the project as a producer. He rewrote an earlier screenplay by Jo Seung-Hee based on actual events, and said he started writing the script long before *Squid Game* went into production.[9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=483) • [10](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2022/12/02/Lee-Jung-Jae-Hunt-Squid-Game/8971669912344/) Directors and screenwriters he approached from 2005 onward rejected the project for its complexity; in 2016 he began rewriting the script alongside his acting work, and producer Han Jae-duk pushed him to direct it himself, arguing that no one else knew the story as well.[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html)
The film was shot from May to November 2021. Because of covid it was filmed almost entirely in South Korea, even though the story also unfolds in Southeast Asia, Japan, and Washington; a second unit supervised by Lee over Zoom traveled to Thailand.[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html) Casting Jung Woo-sung as Kim Jung-do reunited the two leads 23 years after *City of the Rising Sun* (1999); the two had also co-founded a talent agency six years earlier.[9](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=483) • [5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html)
## Release
*Hunt* premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, screening in the 2,300-seat Lumière auditorium, where the audience reacted strongly to the film's action sequences.[5](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html) It opened in South Korea on August 10, 2022, and drew 4,350,029 admissions.[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=57907) Magnolia Pictures acquired the North American rights in August 2022,[6](https://www.thewrap.com/lee-jung-jae-movie-hunt-magnolia-pictures/) and Magnet Releasing gave the film a limited US theatrical release on December 2, 2022, where it grossed $26.0K.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) The film also screened in the non-competition section of the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2022.[11](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20211792)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 68% Tomatometer from 56 reviews, with the critics consensus reading that although it frequently forsakes action in favor of a needlessly knotty narrative, it has enough thrills to satisfy more forgiving espionage fans; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 45%.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 55 based on 22 reviews.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6931658/criticreviews/)
Reviewers repeatedly praised the action and the two lead performances while criticizing the plot's density. Peter Debruge of *Variety* called it "a twisty, action-packed political thriller" that keeps the viewer guessing;[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6931658/criticreviews/) Noel Murray of the *Los Angeles Times* wrote that it works fine as a slam-bang action movie but is at heart a cautionary tale.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s David Rooney found the film lacking in character depth and storytelling coherence,[12](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hunt/) and Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave it 2 of 4 stars, calling it ultimately too shallow to recommend.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022) Korean audiences were more favorable: Cine21 recorded an audience score of 8.00 against an expert score of 7.25.[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=57907)
## Awards
The film received recognition from Korean film industry bodies. It won the New Director award at the 31st Buil Film Awards, and at the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards it took prizes for editing, cinematography and lighting, and new director. At the 9th Korean Film Producers Association Awards it won four categories, including art design, editing, directing, and cinematography, and the 42nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards named it among the year's top ten films while giving Lee the new director prize and [Jung Woo-sung](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-woo-sung) the best actor award.[8](https://www.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_009329)
## References
1. [Hunt (2022), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hunt_2022)
2. [Lee Jung-jae wears all the hats in soon-to-debut 'Hunt', Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/lee-jungjae-wears-all-the-hats-in-soontodebut-hunt/11755895)
3. [About the movie: HUNT, Festival de Cannes film information (PDF)](https://cdn-media.festival-cannes.com/film_film/0002/75/eab78959663a6a8b599e9e62e3b5ceed9f4ce19c.pdf)
4. [헌트 (HUNT) 상세정보, Cine21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=57907)
5. [El protagonista de 'El juego del calamar' arrasa en Cannes con un 'thriller' de espías en su debut como director, El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2022-05-21/el-protagonista-de-el-juego-del-calamar-arrasa-en-cannes-con-un-thriller-de-espias-en-su-debut-como-director.html)
6. [Magnolia Pictures Acquires Lee Jung-jae's Directorial Debut 'Hunt', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/lee-jung-jae-movie-hunt-magnolia-pictures/)
7. [Hunt (2022) Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6931658/criticreviews/)
8. [헌트, 시네마테크KOFA (Korean Film Archive)](https://www.koreafilm.or.kr/movie/PM_009329)
9. [HUNT, Korean Film Council](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/newfilm.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=483)
10. [Lee Jung-jae: Directorial debut 'Hunt' came before 'Squid Game', UPI](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2022/12/02/Lee-Jung-Jae-Hunt-Squid-Game/8971669912344/)
11. [HUNT (2022), Korean Film Council film page](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20211792)
12. [Hunt Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hunt/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2020–2022 films › Released in 2022*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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