Ma Dong-Seok, Don Lee, has seen his fame go stratospheric in recent years with ‘The Outlaws’ and the proceeding ‘Roundup’ films. I’m slightly late to the party (though I did see him in ‘The Eternals’ – the less said about that, the better) but this imposing force of nature has me intrigued after seeing ‘The Villagers’, an excellent thriller with brains as well as brawn.
Yeok is forced to leave the big city in disgrace after hitting a corrupt boxing promoter, but thanks to his sister is able to find work in a distant school as a physical education teacher. As he arrives in the town, he immediately notices that something doesn’t quite seem right; the people are rude, detached and encourage him not to get too involved in his work. The big-hearted Yeok doesn’t listen and when he befriends teen outcast Kang, who is desperately trying to get the authorities to investigate the disappearance of her friend, he starts his own enquiries. However, every lead is extinguished by the townspeople, from the students to the teachers and even to the mayor. Gradually, Yeok begins to discover what a cesspit he has entered and how difficult it will be to find justice for the missing girl.
Seeing Don Lee tensing his body, fists clenched and teeth gritted, reminded me of watching the old Incredible Hulk series; you were desperately waiting for Bruce Banner’s eyes to turn green so the Hulk could appear and destroy the bad guys. Even as a child, there is catharsis from cheering on an unstoppable force as he obliterates the wicked. Lee’s physical justice is given the same build-up and he is certainly given enough deplorable people to take on; the story is full of reprehensible characters who you want to see knocked out. Yet ‘The Villagers’ isn’t just a knock-down, drag-out brawl-fest – this is a thriller where the audience feels the frustration of the hero as he faces a town-wide cover-up. That only makes the finale sweeter.
‘The Villagers’ tackles the very difficult subject of trafficking well, never being shocking for the sake of it, but still packing a punch. A few scenes, though not graphic, are a tough watch and take the story to the dark underbelly of Korean society (not that any country can claim to be unaffected by this evil). Lee and Kim Rae-son are an excellent pairing, going from intergeneration confusion to two people with a common purpose. It was especially poignant to be reminded of Kim Rae-Son’s talent in the same year that she tragically took her own life. ‘The Villagers’ is a fine action-thriller, tackling darker themes while still being able to weave in humour and pathos. Highly recommended.
Well Go USA recently released ‘The Villagers’ on US Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. You can order it now from Amazon.com.
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