agmtw logo
search
The Tiger (2015)

The Tiger (2015)

The Korean wilderness is not easily conquered in this epic, yet contemplative period creature thriller

7.2

Movie

South Korea
Japanese, Korean
Action, Adventure, Drama, History
2015
PARK HOON-JUNG
Ahn Sang-woo, Choi Min-sik, Han Dong-wook
139 min

TLDR

It’s so dramatic, even the tiger’s out there, looking at the distance, contemplating the hunter.

What it's about

Japanese-occupied Mount Jirisan, 1925. The last remaining one-eyed Korean tiger, dubbed by the locals as the Mountain Lord, eludes capture from the Japanese governor-general, who has been aiming to hunt them down to the point of extinction. Because of this, they try to recruit revered hunter Chun Man-duk, who swore off hunting after a tragic accident.

The take

For a while, tigers roamed Korea, garnering fear and respect, as the clawed creature resembled the peninsula. However, tigers roam no more due to Japanese occupation in the early 20th century. The Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale takes these historical facts to create a thrilling adventure drama– where man versus the titular beast are compelled to meet again due to political pressure, the government bounty, and personal revenge on both parties. The CGI is occasionally spotty, and the relationship between father and son isn’t as developed as the one between hunter and tiger, but the face-off between the opponents and their shared history makes The Tiger a good movie to watch.

What stands out

The aforementioned tiger. Writer-director Park Hoon-jung holds off the beast’s appearance until halfway through the film, to build up a sense of mythic proportions around the tiger (as well as the hunter) respectively. When it finally appears, the CGI team really pulled off the creature itself, the teeth, and the gore.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Bad Lands (2023)

A subtle Japanese crime thriller that coolly pulls off its long con

7.2

Rohan at the Louvre (2023)

A riveting supernatural mystery contemplating Japanese art in relation to the world

8.2

Lust, Caution (2007)

A wartime spy falls for a collaborator in this erotic espionage drama

7.3

Ballerina (2023)

A gruesome yet restrained Korean revenge thriller that rains vengeance on sexual predators

7.8

Kingdom (2019)

An adequate, if a bit condensed, adaptation with excellent action and production design

7.0

The Outlaws (2017)

Don Lee takes down gangsters in this gritty and humorous crime thriller

7.0

Hard Days (2023)

A detective has a series of terrible, horrible days in this decent Japanese thriller remake

7.0

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

A bizarre superhero adaptation of the classic 70s tokusatsu series that goes absolutely bonkers

7.5

Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)

The thrilling continuation of the franchise that reintroduced the samurai genre to the world

7.2

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato (2019)

A decent, if strangely paced, conclusion to the steampunk zombie drama

6.7

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.