An Unpredictable Action Thriller
Summary
Don Lee is at his best in The Villagers showing more heart than usual while also still delivering severe beatings to those who deserve it. The story is engaging with memorable characters and the brisk runtime keeps things moving at a decent pace.
Plot: Ki-chul (Don Lee) is sent to a high school in the country as its new gym teacher and has a hard time adjusting to his new environment and feels that there’s something definitely wrong about the town and its people. Yu-jin (Kim Sae-ron) is a high school student whose best friend disappeared without a trace. Everyone believes she ran away from home but Yu-jin is the only one who thinks she’s been kidnapped. With the help of Ki-chul, she sets out a dangerous path to uncover the truth…
Review: I’m not sure why The Villagers has taken this long to reach North America, but it was made way back in 2018 and is only now getting released here.
More of a thriller than an all-out action picture The Villagers stars Don Lee as Ki-chul; he is a former boxing coach who loses his job after punching his superior and is sent to a village to become a teacher. I feel like if you’ve been violent towards someone being a teacher probably isn’t the best career choice, however this is a movie, so let’s move on.
When Ki-chul arrives in the village he is hardly welcomed with open arms as everyone appears hostile and refuses to help him as he investigates the disappearance of a local girl.
He befriends Kang Yoo-jin (Kim Sae-ron) who is looking for her friend but when things start getting dangerous Ki-chul begins to learn that the village has some secrets.
Although not packed with action The Villagers still has several punch ups with Don Lee doing what he does best, but I think he gives one of his more layered performances where he isn’t just a bruiser. He is a teacher who cares about the well-being of his students and is a total hero at the same time.
This is well paced and unpredictable keeping you guessing as to what’s going on in this mysterious village. It gets tense at times and has several memorable moments including a scene with an attacker running at Kang in a tunnel.
As this is a Don Lee film, we do of course have several scenes of him taking on multiple opponents and the fight scenes are nicely done. He gets injured and isn’t an invincible badass, but his sheer determination to help his students keeps him motivated to find justice. Corruption is everywhere and there are few he can trust, so it’s mostly up to him and Kang to investigate the missing girl, but some people don’t want her found.
Overall, The Villagers has a compelling story and enough action to keep things moving with a few bruising fight scenes. It is more of a thriller but it’s unpredictability and tension should keep you on the edge of your seat.