Synopsis:
From writer/director PARK Hoon-jung (New World) comes the critically acclaimed drama THE TIGER. The film features a remarkable performance from Korean superstar CHOI Min-sik (Oldboy, Lucy, The Admiral: Roaring Currents) in return to action in the role of retired sharpshooter facing off against the last surviving tiger in Japanese-occupied Korea in 1925. The film also stars JUNG Man-sik (Chronicle of a Blood Merchant), KIM Sang-ho (The Beauty Inside), REN OSUGI (upcoming: Godzilla Resurgence) and feature film newcomers SUNG Yu-bin and JEONG Seok-won.
What We Thought:
The Tiger is equal parts The Revenant and political drama. It has a good story and great visuals.
I was expecting a story more about a man versus a tiger. Man vs. nature like The Edge or The Ghost & the Darkness. And sure it’s like those to a degree, but there’s also political tones to the film.
The Japanese occupy Korea and their leader wants this tiger dead. He sends in locals to kill the tiger and sends in soldiers as well after the tiger takes so many lives. Choi Min-Sik is the local legendary hunter who has a shared past with the tiger. They need his help to kill the beast and even try using his son to hunt it. The tiger is respected and the king of the mountain and it takes much more than anticipated to get him.
I definitely wasn’t expecting the Japanese occupy storyline. I really was expecting one man versus a tiger on a mountain, but I think it works by adding that story. Man vs Beast or Man vs. Nature can be slow or take too long to get to a conclusion you expect so adding a backstory to the hunter and tiger and having a political angle gives the film some depth.
It does look pretty fantastic on Blu-ray as well. The setting shines in HD. The mountain has all kinds of colors from the white of the snow, to the greens and browns of the environment. The tiger looks CG,but it looks great on your flat screen. Audio is top-notch with full sound and dialogue.
Oldboy‘s Choi Min-Sik gives a wonderful performance in The Tiger. The film is much more layered and story driven than I expected, but I liked it more because of that. It’s visually stunning, well acted and very well directed. It has some gruesome scenes and some reserved scenes. I quite liked the dynamic. Because of all that, it is…
RECOMMENDED!
Cast & Crew:
- Choi Min-Sik
- Director Park Hoon-Jung
Recommended If You Like:
- The Revenant
- Asian Films
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