Following his acclaimed performance in 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents', Choi Min-Sik returns with a distinctive film. He portrays a hunter in a role that felt inspiring. It’s a project from the director of ‘New World’, marking their second collaboration. Stories like this can be compelling when imagined individually, but translating them to screen is challenging because they often reflect a single creative vision, and not everyone will share that perspective, which inevitably leads to disagreements. I believe the director did what he could given the screenplay, and the entire team’s effort seemed commendable. The film unfolds during the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1925, centering on a hunter living with his son near a village who has abandoned hunting after the death of his wife. When a Japanese army chief becomes obsessed with capturing a magnificent tiger residing in the Jirisan mountains, he compels local hunters to pursue it. All attempts fail until the Japanese soldiers and Korean hunters join forces to track down the last remaining tiger. The confrontation between man and beast ignites a bloody conflict that will irrevocably alter those involved. I was eager to see this film because Korean experimental films often present fascinating realism. For instance, 'Mr. Go' shared the same visual effects team, who did an impressive job—though it proved more difficult than their previous creation of a large ape. While some shots weren’t quite up to par, at times the quality was comparable to recent CGI tigers like Richard Parker from ‘Life of Pi’ and Shere Khan from 'The Jungle Book'. "Respect the mountain and take what it gives you." The film blended reality and fiction. From a human viewpoint, the narrative felt logical and historically accurate, depicting how humans hunt animals for sport and their valuable parts. However, portraying the tiger with emotions mirroring those of humans introduced an element of fiction; while animals do experience feelings, they don’t express them in precisely the same way as people. This made it feel somewhat unrealistic and unbalanced. It would have been more suitable for a pure fantasy film rather than the thriller aimed at adults featuring graphic violence. Otherwise, it could have worked well as an anime. Despite these shortcomings, I found the film to be better than my initial expectations. The actors performed admirably, as did the crew behind the camera. The cinematography was good and captured some beautiful scenery, although some of those shots may have been digitally created. The length felt a bit excessive, but the engaging screenplay prevented it from feeling like a chore to sit through. For viewers who enjoy action sequences, this film provides entertainment, though your enjoyment will depend on whom you’re rooting for. I didn't fully grasp the conclusion because it was more of an implied understanding than a clear explanation, allowing audiences to interpret events differently and arrive at their own conclusions. (The following might contain spoilers.) It seemed that the tiger and the hunter were resolving decisions they should have made years prior. I may have mentioned earlier that this film is best suited for adults; even for me, knowing it was largely fabricated felt excessively brutal. There's a scene where a boy is devoured by wolves—I’m unsure of the filmmakers’ intent or their target audience. The writing could have been improved to be more realistic and portray animal behavior in a naturalistic way. It might provide some level of entertainment for certain viewers, but young children should avoid it. Personally, I give it an even split; neither recommending nor discouraging anyone from seeing it. 6/10

Source on TMDB