For most American viewers, Netflix’s Korean import series Squid Game was probably an introduction to Lee Jung-jae, who plays the series’ hapless protagonist and one of the more tragic victims of his deadly childhood games. But Lee was a high-profile star (and popular model) in Korea for decades and with the new action-packed spy thriller hunt
Lee plays along hunt as head of foreign operations of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, to Jung Woo-sung as head of domestic operations. When the South Korean president is threatened by a series of crucial intelligence leaks, the two agencies learn that somewhere inside the KCIA there is a high-level, deep-cover mole. Both men are investigating, but as their efforts heat up, it also becomes a deeply personal feud as both seek to unmask and expose each other as possible North Korean spies.
The film, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is a sprawling but intense action film that balances espionage intrigue with gunfights and mass combat. As the dueling leaders arm their entire agencies against each other, they send hordes of agents into gunfights and chases to be the first to get new information or useful resources. It’s blockbuster-level filmmaking, and the first trailer for the film showcases some of Lee’s directing skills in staging street wars and mass combat.
hunt premieres in theaters and on VOD on December 2nd.
