The Villagers

For the life of me I can't figure out how the title of the film has any thing to do with the story at all. The Villager is a run-of-the-mill action film that is painfully simplistic and offers no surprise or intrigue throughout. The film also fails to bring anything to the table and the plot twists are shallow and predictable. Adding fuel to the fire, the film is littered with plot holes and at times simply lacks common sense. The only semi-interesting main protagonists seems to have a pretty interesting backstory but it doesn't get explored at all, instead it focuses on the girl who seems to be in a million other mundane Asian films.

This was my second Ma Dong-seok movie and I liked it. It was thrilling with good acting and it felt authentic.

The action was good.

The sets/settings was great All together a good movie.

Fun fact: At 1:22:24 During an intence scene they for some reason useed "Agressive Expansion" From "The Dark Knight" by "Hans Zimmer" which was a bit funny.

Not much of a mystery, pretty predictable story. Usually korean thriller movies add huge amount of suspense but this one was pretty blunt.

Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee, stars in this Korean action thriller about an ex-boxing Coach who takes a teaching job after his temper gets him in trouble in boxing world politics. He discovers that teaching at an affluent all girls school is, perhaps, harder than being a professional fighter. To compound matters, a young student goes missing and his pursuit of her disappearance takes him to some dark places.

Don Lee is a film sensation. He has starred in some of the best films in the world, including Train to Busan, The Gangster, The Cop & The Devil, and The Round Up series. His mix of machismo and humor make him a formidable screen presence. He is very good in this film. His ability to transform his character from a "fish out of water" to a paternalistic hero is one he plays very believably.

Kim Sae-ron's performance as a frustrated and untrusting student in search of her missing friend is very compelling. She plays the role effectively, with subtlety.

The two main leads go from adversaries to partners on a single quest and this is the heart of the film. It offers the humanity in this thriller.

The plot and Direction are very good and they embody some of the key elements of Korea's film success. Those elements are strong characters, a good plot, and fluid lines between the good guys and bad guys that keep you guessing, at times who can be trusted.

The action and fight scenes are good. No one handles "one v. Multiple attackers" better than Don Lee. His believable conquest of mere mortals is always fun to marvel at. This film's fights are no exception

The film is a worthwhile and I recommend it.

Ma Dong-seok is a real bad-ass - and I love the work he has done - but what he miss out on is a Terence Hill-counterpart - because we do not see those movies anymore.... Bud and Spnce had a special chemistry that movies today has not captured yet - Ma Dong-seok could be the Bud Spencer of today?

He is large, fierceful, powerful, and he really put gravitas to the roles he plays.

Maybe you think he plays same role over and over again?

Then you do not know anything about acting.

Ma Dong-seok makes subtle swifts in his roles, that only a true actor can, and he should be commended and rewarded for his work.

I am indeed a fan - and hope you get to make many more great movies.