Streaming Sleepers: In TIGER’S TRIGGER, An Aging Killer Resurfaces For An Ageless Vendetta

Lee Kang-wook’s directorial debut, Tiger’s Trigger, had a small Korean rollout last year after making the rounds at festivals. In the years and months leading up to then, the hype surrounding it was largely attributed to titles like The Man From Nowhere, and Pierre Morel’s Taken. Either way, Tiger’s Trigger is definitely the kind of film suited for action fans eyeing the genre as it’s been host to a number of action-oriented stories revolving around aging protagonists at the forefront of it all.

To this, kung fu cinema stalwart, martial artist and actor Wang Ho (better known from his heyday as Casanova Wong) comes ripe for the occasion with over forty credits to his resumé. Together with fellow genre staple Won Jin of Operation Scorpio and China Strike Force fame, Lee’s debut brings with it some heavy-handed drama, and a plot that slowly percolates through compelling cast performances, and a scintillating revenge tale that puts two action fan faves back on the screen.

Going forward though, I don’t know if not necessarily identifying the name of actress Park Ji-hu’s character was an accident or intentional. It does feel close to the latter at times, given the context at hand; A young woman (Park) is tormented by having to take care of her mother who is dying from cancer. Between charitable donations and help from schoolmates and dismissive family members more concerned with financial issues, the pressure she’s left feeling often leaves her isolated, sometimes escaping to the roof with certain ideations of self-harm. The only thing really stopping her, at least suggestively, is a prompt on the expressway she sees from her view that reads “Slow Down”.

Later that evening, she stumbles upon a bag with a mysterious gun dropped by a triage victim, wounded following an earlier shootout in the movie. She takes it and dabbles with it, and even fires it once while on the roof. Little does she know, however, that three dirty cops are on the scene to collect the elusive pistol for their own ends, and it’s only a matter of time before they find her. When they do, of course, what’s (or rather, who’s) to stop them from doing their intended worst?

We eventually get that answer halfway into Tiger’s Trigger long after the film’s extensive intro into our characters, establishing Wang firmly as our stoic nobody-turned-somebody with his own fill of concurrent problems. Presumably “mute” for most of the film’s first half, we meet our mystery protagonist as he, much like the young woman to her mother, tends to his ailing wife who is a resident neighbor in the hospital in the same room. His actions are simple, like pulling a curtain closed to turn away meddling and conversational passerbys, or handing someone a Mandarin orange out of generosity, which otherwise makes his messaging clear.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t speak for more than a half hour into the movie, as signs he senses and feels of looming danger awaken in him something our forthcoming antagonists should reasonably be afraid of. One of the dirty cops slithers his way into the room in full creeper mode with the aim of taking the girl into custody, and confiscating her belongings. Before he knows it, the ever-vigilant senior, donning all black with white hair and a pony tail, and a stern grip that means business, gives him the proper hospitality of a dislocated jaw, and an intense stare indicating he could do so much more.

The detectives are clearly outclassed here, leaving them no choice but to confide in their employer (Won Jin), a killer authority who wears sunglasses at all hours of the day for reasons unbeknownst until well past halfway into the film. It is there that we see the first of two showdowns between both killers, with a rivalry made as clear and present as their shared past, and a deadline to finally settle old scores once and for all.

Far from the bombast of an Expendables movie or that of the Red films, Tiger’s Trigger aligns closely more witIh works like Ricky Ko’s aging assassin thriller drama, Time, or Michael Keaton’s 2023 spectacle, Knox Goes Away. Director Lee proffers an otherwise promising action drama with our two leads for an enticing climatic bout that only alludes to who the victor of their knife-dueling tête-a-tête is in the minutes toward the final act as the rest of the film plays out. Gore is mininal amid the violence with plenty of CG blood splatters between the film’s gun battles, and the main event between our dark anti-hero and villain.

The rest of the film is squarely focused on crafting a human tale, highlighting the toils of caring for our loved ones which entails finding strength from within when we need it the most. It bodes some pretty strong characterization for Park’s role and worth the watch, even more so with Wang’s character garnering the kind of fearsome reputation hinted at within the film’s first half when one of the dirty cops claims he recognizes him. I get a kick out of little moody setups like that.

Tiger’s Trigger bodes as a fun, gripping, and quaint action drama with heart. The signature fight scene between our two main stars won’t end well for some fans expecting something more concrete, although if you don’t mind the creative ambition of a first time director lending something cerebral and intriguing with the fanservice, Tiger’s Trigger may well hit its mark for you, or close to it.

You can catch Tiger’s Trigger on Prime Video.