Korean cinema continues to gain ground in the West year after year. This was already very clear with the success of films like Parasite and zombie invasionbut the popularization of series like Round 6 and some of the k-dramas on streams seem to have opened the door for productions from South Korea for good. And, it is hitchhiking in this good moment that Operation Hunt arrives in Brazil.
The feature is a typical action and espionage story as we know it, but with some special spices that made it enter the radar of many people. First, because it is directed by and stars Lee Jung-jae, the star of Round 6which already makes the production quite familiar to anyone who was hooked on the squid game.
In addition to him, other well-known names are also part of the cast in this breathtaking plot. However, what has really piqued people’s curiosity is the fact that this is a story inspired by real events, which makes the whole action much more engaging — even more so when it comes to the dispute between the two Koreas.
rivalry between spies
the script of Operation Hunt part of one of the most traumatic episodes in recent South Korean history — the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. and this is not a spoiler, since the feature takes several creative liberties to reimagine the fact, using the historical event only as a starting point for the plot that it really wants to tell.
The center of the script is not whether the politician will be assassinated or not, but much more to know who is behind this great conspiracy. To this end, the film takes full advantage of the geopolitical tension that the country has always had with its sister North Korea and, to boot, with the very troubled period of the early 1980s.
Thus, the story is centered on two special rivals who have to deal with both the distrust in the entire system and the rivalry they have with each other. On the one hand, we have Park Pyung-Ho (Lee Jung-Jae) and Kim Jung-Do (Jung Woo-Sung), responsible for two intelligence agencies in the country and who begin to investigate the existence of a North Korean infiltrator who plans to assassinate the president.
This makes the central point of the script this constant doubt of who the real spy is. Obviously, Park and Kim will distrust each other, but they will realize that no one can be trusted and anyone around them can be that spy and that makes their mission even more complicated to accomplish.
For that very reason, Operation Hunt part of the actual event to dramatize and create situations that did not actually happen. Still, it’s the kind of thing that piques the public’s curiosity, especially those who don’t know much about South Korea’s history and are faced with all the post-war tension and the division between north and south.
With an eye on awards
Another reason that has drawn attention to Operation Hunt is that all this political and historical footprint — combined with great interpretations by a cast that also features Go Yoon Jung (Alchemy of Souls) and Heo Sung-tae (Round 6) — has been drawing the attention of the West, including at awards and festivals.
The feature was selected to be shown during the Cannes Film Festival, where it was highly praised and arrives in Brazilian cinemas with this standard in its luggage.
Operation Hunt is scheduled to debut here on February 2nd.
