The Tiger

South Korea's answer to 'The Ghost and the Darkness'. Visually stunning, action-packed, suspenseful, intense and emotional, 'The Tiger' is one of the best films I've seen!! This was beyond awesome! The film has an incredible amount of emotion on both the human and animal side. Great constant foreboding atmosphere. This is a truly remarkable film!

This movie is amazing. It has great acting, scenery, and special effects. I really loved the story and symbolism. As I have stated before I don't like to say anything about the actual movie as I feel there is no point in watching a film if the reviews talk about characters/scenes too much. It is akin to the movie trailers showing all the funny/exciting scenes. So, in short it is a beautifully acted, and directed film and I hope my review encourages someone to watch it.

This ridiculous film could not be more outdated when tigers are so critically endangered. The entire slow film displays why all Asian tigers, not just Korean tigers are extinct. India's tigers are highly endangered due to legal hunting & unfettered unapologetic hunting & poaching because the Asian demand for the biggest & last toughest survivors. Anyone watching this film believing that a tiger attacks an army of armed humans is deranged. Tigers have always been elusive, no human can sneak up on any tiger in bare snowy woods, especially if cubs are present. Watch BBC Earth documentaries to educate & see the majesty of a real tiger. This greedy value system of killing for profit the "last tiger" is nauseating & pure waste of time.

Were I teaching I would use this hugely entertaining Korean film to discuss story elements such as man vs man; man vs the environment; man vs himself.... I am sure there is at least one more component. Set in Northern Korea, with Japan occupying this small country, in 1925, Japanese and Koreans, military and civilian forces have their own, and varied reasons why, and why not to hunt down the one remaining tiger. There are really only six characters of note in this film lasting 135 minutes before end credits. Father and son; the leader of the Korean hunters and his lieutenant; and one Japanese General and his Korean aide. The seventh and title character is The Tiger. The humans are so ably played and stereotyping avoided that it is surprise, the tiger is so immediately and continually seen as real, with feelings, and actions determined by emotions that we, the audience, can help but root for the tiger. The Koreans know how to tell a story; they know how to pull out all the stops, and very often they take their story somewhere you were not expecting. A film like THE TIGER: AN OLD HUNTER'S TALE also benefits from the usual stellar photography, so we believe the location and how dangerous it is; and then with the music it is never over the top; needless and repetitive loud and signifying nothing. THE TIGER is a film the makers can be proud of. I wish more foreign language films got a wider release, and Korean film especially because I have lost count of their varied and fascinating successes since I saw JSA, MEMORIES OF MURDER, and others, until I lucked out and found MUSA (the North America DVD suffers by losing a half hour or so of running time). Rousing; uplifting and tragic; with the final sequence telling you, the audience what you might have already figure out. Great viewing. Thanks for reading, Simon In BC, Canada