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Time to Hunt (2020) movie poster

Timeline

Time to Hunt (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2020 · 135 mins · Korean
Echo score 71
Directed by
Yoon Sung-hyun
Starring
Cho Seong-ha, Lee Je-hoon, Choi Woo-shik, Park Jeong-min, Kim Won-hae, Ahn Jae-hong
Budget
$9.1M

Seeking a better life, four young men plan to escape their oppressive society and travel to a distant, idyllic location to execute a risky money heist. Their daring plan, however, triggers a series of unforeseen and dangerous consequences, turning their pursuit of freedom into a desperate fight for survival.

Thriller Action Drama Crime Cast, crew & box office
On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

Time to Hunt Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Time to Hunt (2020) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Prison release and grim plan

    Jun-seok is released from prison after a botched heist, and the enormous crash of the won leaves their loot effectively worthless. With nothing left, he pitches one last job to his best friends in the hope of escaping their miserable lives. The mood is tense but determined as they consider the risky path ahead.

    When
    After release from prison
    Where
    South Korea

  2. Assembling the crew and target

    They decide to hit an illegal gambling house to seize cash and valuable hard drives. The trio recruits Sang-soo for help and obtains firearms from Bong-sik, their contact. Plans are laid out with growing urgency as the clock ticks toward the heist.

    When
    Pre-heist planning
    Where
    South Korea

  3. The heist hits the gambling house

    The group carries out the operation with precision, grabbing a large sum of cash and the gambling house's surveillance hard drives. The job goes through despite the messy setup and rising tension. They escape with both money and incriminating data in hand.

    When
    During the heist
    Where
    Illegal gambling house

  4. Aftermath and relocation

    Sang-soo chooses to stay on for a while to avoid arousing suspicion, while the remaining trio heads to Ki-hoon's parents' home. The sense of relief is short-lived as the stakes grow higher after the heist. The group tries to lay low for a moment.

    When
    Post-heist
    Where
    Ki-hoon's parents' home

  5. Hard drives reveal incriminating footage

    The hard drives contain footage showing shady dealings between the gambling house owners and various criminals. The trio realizes the size of what they’ve taken and the danger it now entails. The data changes the dynamic from robbery to a target on their backs.

    When
    Post-heist discovery
    Where
    Gambling house/storage facility

  6. Han hired and murders begin

    The gambling house owner hires Han to retrieve the drives. Han visits Bong-sik, coerces him to reveal the trio's location by calling Jun-seok, and kills Bong-sik. He also kills Sang-soo off-screen and takes his phone, tightening the net around the conspirators.

    When
    Pursuit begins
    Where
    Bong-sik's location and surrounding areas

  7. Sang-soo's disappearance and bar calls

    Jun-seok wakes from a nightmare and goes to a bar, where he receives several calls from Sang-soo's phone. He eventually realizes that someone else has Sang-soo's phone and that danger is closing in. The noise of the city masks the growing tension around them.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Bar

  8. Escape plan escalates: Jang-ho is shot

    Jun-seok meets with Jang-ho and Ki-hoon, but as they attempt to flee from a parking lot, Han shoots Jang-ho and their car crashes. Han grants them a 5-minute headstart, intensifying the chase as they scramble to survive. The escape turns into a deadly pursuit.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Parking lot

  9. Hospital chase and the policeman reveal

    They drive to a hospital in another city to treat Jang-ho's injuries. Using the city's surveillance system, Han locates the hospital, and Jun-seok spots him approaching. They manage to evade him and escape in Han's car, only to realize that Han is a police officer.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Hospital (city) and surrounding streets

  10. Deal attempts and police intervention

    The trio tries to strike a deal with Han, but he refuses to cooperate. Han is arrested by the police, but they release him under orders from the police chief, complicating their already precarious situation. The line between ally and threat grows blurrier.

    When
    Following confrontation
    Where
    Police station

  11. Harbor hideout and family warning

    The trio arrives at the harbor, forced to stay until dawn while the net tightens around them. Ki-hoon returns to his parents' home, afraid that trouble might befall his family because of their actions. The tension builds as they wait for daylight.

    When
    Night to dawn
    Where
    Harbor; Ki-hoon's home

  12. Dusk arrives: Han's presence at Ki-hoon's home

    Jun-seok returns to Ki-hoon's home at dusk and sees an unfamiliar car at the entrance, realizing that Han has arrived. The pursuit closes in on their last safe refuge. The clock ticks toward a deadly confrontation.

    When
    Dusk
    Where
    Ki-hoon's home

  13. Final gunfight and Han's demise

    In a tense final shootout, Han shoots Jang-ho multiple times, and Jang-ho dies from his injuries. A group of masked men led by Bong-soo arrives and wounds Han, who falls into the sea. The group is left to confront the consequences of their choices.

    When
    Night to dawn
    Where
    Ki-hoon's home vicinity

  14. Dawn departure and the revenge plan

    At dawn, Jun-seok sails toward Kenting, Taiwan, and learns that Han has survived. Ki-hoon is implied to be dead on returning home. Deciding that running will never grant true freedom, Jun-seok resolves to return to South Korea to face Han once and for all.

    When
    Dawn
    Where
    Kenting, Taiwan

Last updated: February 25, 2026 at 08:22

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Timeline questions answered

Time to Hunt Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Time to Hunt (2020): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Jun-seok plan another heist right after being released from prison?

Jun-seok was desperate because his previous heist lost all its value when the Korean won crashed. After serving time in prison, he had nothing left and saw one final score as his only chance to escape his miserable life and start fresh.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene establishes the economic desperation that drives Jun-seok to risk everything.

  • jun-seok
  • prison
  • heist
  • korean won crash
  • desperation
Q2

Why did Sang-soo stay at the casino after the heist?

Sang-soo chose to remain at the casino temporarily to avoid arousing suspicion. Leaving immediately would have made him a obvious suspect, so he stayed to maintain his cover and not draw attention to the trio's involvement.

Foreshadowing: His decision to stay ultimately led to his death, as Han found him there.

  • sang-soo
  • casino
  • cover
  • heist aftermath
Q3

What was on the hard drives that made them so valuable?

The hard drives contained surveillance footage showing shady dealings between the illegal gambling house owners and various criminals. This incriminating evidence revealed a much larger web of corruption, making the drives dangerous to possess and highly valuable to anyone who wanted to expose or exploit the casino's secrets.

Foreshadowing: The drives are what motivated the casino owner to hire Han, turning a simple robbery into a deadly pursuit.

  • hard drives
  • surveillance footage
  • corruption
  • casino
  • evidence
Q4

Who is Han and why was he hired to hunt the trio?

Han is a former police officer turned contract killer hired by the casino owner to retrieve the stolen hard drives. His police background and skills made him effective at tracking and eliminating the thieves. The casino owner needed someone ruthless who could recover the incriminating footage without going through official channels.

Foreshadowing: His police training is later revealed when the trio discovers he's an officer.

  • han
  • killer
  • police officer
  • casino owner
  • contract killer
Q5

How did Han find Jun-seok and his friends?

Han visited Bong-sik, Jun-seok's contact who provided the firearms, and coerced him into calling Jun-seok to reveal the trio's location. After obtaining this information, Han killed Bong-sik. He also killed Sang-soo at the casino and took Sang-soo's phone, which he used to track Jun-seok when he called the bar where Jun-seok was.

Foreshadowing: Bong-sik's cooperation was forced under threat, and his death came quickly after revealing the information.

  • han
  • bong-sik
  • location
  • tracking
  • phone
Q6

Why did the police release Han after arresting him?

The police arrested Han but released him because they received orders directly from the police chief. This reveals deep corruption within the police force, as the chief was apparently working with or taking orders from the same criminal interests that hired Han in the first place.

Foreshadowing: This moment exposes that the authorities are not allies but part of the same corrupt system.

  • han arrested
  • police chief
  • corruption
  • released
Q7

Who was Bong-sik's brother and why did he help Jun-seok?

Bong-soo is Bong-sik's brother who arrived with a group of masked men during the final confrontation at Ki-hoon's home. He confronted Han to avenge his brother's death, turning the tide of the battle. His arrival saved Jun-seok from likely death at Han's hands.

Foreshadowing: Bong-sik's earlier death by Han creates the motivation for Bong-soo's timely intervention.

  • bong-soo
  • bong-sik
  • brother
  • revenge
  • rescue
Q8

What happened to Jang-ho at the end of the movie?

Jang-ho was shot by Han during the final confrontation at Ki-hoon's home and died from his injuries. He was fatally wounded while escaping with Jun-seok, becoming one of the major casualties of the heist gone wrong.

Foreshadowing: Jang-ho had already been shot earlier in the parking lot, and his injuries never fully healed.

  • jang-ho
  • death
  • shot
  • final confrontation
Q9

Why did Jun-seok decide to return to South Korea instead of staying in Taiwan?

After escaping to Kenting, Taiwan, Jun-seok learned that Han had survived their confrontation. Rather than live on the run indefinitely, he chose to arm himself and return to South Korea to face Han once and for all, seeking true freedom through confronting his hunter rather than constantly fleeing.

Foreshadowing: This decision reflects Jun-seok's character arc from desperate escape to determined confrontation.

  • jun-seok
  • taiwan
  • return
  • korea
  • han
  • revenge
Q10

Why did Han give Jun-seok and his friends a five-minute head start?

Han granted them a five-minute head start to prolong the hunt and make it more exciting for himself. Rather than simply executing them immediately, he wanted the thrill of chasing them down, demonstrating his sadistic enjoyment of the hunt.

Foreshadowing: This moment reveals Han's personality as someone who derives pleasure from the pursuit itself.

  • han
  • head start
  • chase
  • hunt
  • psychopath
Q11

What happened to Ki-hoon at the end of the movie?

Ki-hoon's fate is implied to be death. When Jun-seok sails to Taiwan, it's mentioned that Ki-hoon was implied to be dead upon returning home. He likely died either during the final confrontation or shortly after, another victim of the heist's deadly consequences.

Foreshadowing: Ki-hoon's earlier visit to check on his parents was his last moment of connection to a normal life.

  • ki-hoon
  • death
  • fate
  • implied
Q12

Why was escaping South Korea so important to the group?

The four friends wanted to escape South Korea because they lived in an oppressive dystopian society with a crashed economy. The heist was their only chance to obtain enough money to start new lives elsewhere. Without the money from the gambling house, they had no viable path to freedom.

Foreshadowing: The opening establishes the economic desperation that makes escape their only option.

  • escape
  • south korea
  • dystopia
  • economy
  • money

Movie threads

More Movies Like Time to Hunt, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Time to Hunt tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with dystopian pursuits like Time to Hunt

Running for your life in a broken world where every shadow holds a threat. If you enjoyed the relentless chase in Time to Hunt, explore these other movies where characters are hunted through grim, futuristic landscapes. These films capture a similar feeling of desperate flight and survival against powerful forces in a broken society.

  • dystopian
  • pursuit
  • survival
  • tense
  • desperate
  • oppressive
  • Tone: tense, bleak, desperate
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread follow a linear, fast-paced structure driven by immediate physical danger. The story is a race against time, where characters must use their wits and endure immense hardship simply to stay alive, often with little hope of a true victory, only the possibility of temporary escape.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared core premise of a desperate chase within a dystopian framework. They create a cohesive experience through their oppressive atmosphere, constant tension, and focus on the visceral, exhausting nature of being prey.

Time to Hunt movie poster

Time to Hunt

2020
The Fix movie poster

The Fix

2024
Desierto movie poster

Desierto

2016
The Hunted movie poster

The Hunted

2003
Chasing Raine movie poster

Chasing Raine

2024
Slipstream movie poster

Slipstream

1989
Enemy Territory movie poster

Enemy Territory

1987
Beyond the Reach movie poster

Beyond the Reach

2015

Thrillers about heists gone wrong like Time to Hunt

A simple plan spirals into chaos, forcing a fight for survival. Fans of the disastrous heist in Time to Hunt will find these movies capture a similar descent into chaos. These stories explore the tension and fallout when a criminal plan fails spectacularly, turning the perpetrators into prey.

  • heist gone wrong
  • thrilling
  • descent into chaos
  • desperate
  • suspenseful
  • betrayal
  • Tone: tense, anxious, grim
  • Pacing: fast, escalating
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern begins with a high-risk plan that promises a way out, but a single miscalculation or twist of fate triggers a domino effect of violence and pursuit. The story becomes a brutal lesson in cause and effect, where the initial goal is replaced by the stark imperative of survival.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by the core narrative structure of a plan's catastrophic failure. They share a tense, anxious mood as control is lost, and explore themes of loyalty under pressure and the heavy cost of ambition, creating a consistently thrilling and often tragic viewing experience.

Thief movie poster

Thief

1981
Heist movie poster

Heist

2015
The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery movie poster

The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery

1959
Federal Bank Heist movie poster

Federal Bank Heist

2011
King of Robbery movie poster

King of Robbery

1996
Criminal Activities movie poster

Criminal Activities

2015
Time to Hunt movie poster

Time to Hunt

2020
Once a Thief movie poster

Once a Thief

1965

Every angle

Time to Hunt (2020) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Time to Hunt in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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