Picture: Netflix
Playing as a spiritual sequel to 2023’s Concrete Utopia, Badland Hunters marks the feature film directorial debut for long-time martial arts & stunts expert Heo Myeong-haeng (Oldboy, Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan). The film is based on a script from the creator of Netflix’s “D.P.” series Kim Bo-Tong (alongside co-writer Kwak Jae-Min) and produced by Byun Seung-min (Netflix’s 2023 release Ballerina).
Netflix hopes the film will catch on with the momentum provided by the production’s big-name action star Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee, who has started to become more of a global entity following his breakout role in 2016 Korean cult classic Train to Busan leading to more leading roles in his native South Korea with critical & commercial success alike. Lee made his Hollywood debut in 2019 with the much-maligned MCU feature Eternals, but that film’s critical misstep did not stop Don Lee from making one of the biggest-grossing films in South Korean history soon after with his action crime thriller, The Roundup, in 2022.
While it is hard to fully call him the protagonist of Badland Hunters, everything flows through his character Nam-san in some ultra-violent way or another. Set in a desolate post-earthquake Seoul where water is more currency than money or gold, Nam-san finds himself as a hunter/gatherer for his local village, as well as, the muscle when the moment strikes. He’s accompanied by a village teenage boy Choi ji-wan, played by Lee Jun-young (Netflix’s Love and Leashes), who complains more than he assists and pines for his village crush Su-na (Roh Jeong-Eui from Netflix’s Our Beloved Summer) who treats Nam-san like family.
When the village is visited by a teacher of a local apartment utopia that provides food & clean water for all their inhabitants, Su-na and her grandmother are chosen to attend the school and live in this post-apocalyptic oasis. However, when it is discovered that the apartment compound is not what it seems, Su-na must rely on Nam-san and his crew to save her and the local inhabitants from the tyrannical rule of a mad doctor, Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-joon), who is holding the teen captive in a camp full of dangerous cultists.
Picture: Netflix
Much like the backdrop of the movie itself, the experience of watching Badland Hunters is a tale of survival. Much of the positive aspects of the film lie in the scenes in the apartment compound, which we don’t come upon until the second half of the film. If you can survive the character annoyances, bland story elements, painful dialogue, & pointless gang encounters of the first half, then you will be rewarded – in a very loose sense – with the well choreographed, close-quarters fight sequences that you probably came for in the first place. In particular, the escape from the trap of hissing monster-like former soldiers in the basement prison cells & the blade wielding Nam-san taking on a whole crew of apartment soldiers in a narrow hallway soon thereafter feels much like the peak of what the movie can provide.
A big part of that second-half kick is provided by the presence of Ahn Ji-hye as Former Special Forces Sgt. Lee Eun-ho. Her character approaches Nam-san to help her take down the apartment compound, a place she helped build until Dr. Yang’s true intentions are revealed. She is an incredibly skilled fighter who has a personal connection with the site and her fellow brethren that she had to leave behind. Unlike many things in this movie, her character makes sense and provides momentum & some emotional resonance.
However, the first half is quite the slog, and some major characters & wayward subplots still linger with us into the better, but not ultimately satisfying, 2nd half. Dr. Yang’s bizarre experiments & twisted obsession with his daughter, who we see as a sick patient before the earthquake, are unsettling, baffling, & oftentimes obnoxious. As a central character & villain, he does more harm than good as he doesn’t factor into what does work well in the film.
Overall, Badland Hunters may give the Don Lee faithful & action film superfans some moments of joy, but the more discerning action fans who want a little more from its plot, direction, & performances will be left wanting. With multiple hyper-annoying supporting characters, a weak & confusing “weird science” angle, & thin to non-existent backstories & relationships, the film will soon be forgotten outside of montage clips on YouTube.
Watch Badland Hunters If You Like
- Concrete Utopia
- Train to Busan
- Army of the Dead
- Carter
- #Alive
MVP of Badland Hunters
Ahn Ji-hye as Former Special Forces Sgt. Lee Eun-ho
Badland Hunters is a tale of two movies: Before Sgt. Lee Eun-ho & After.
One of the rare characters in the film with a backstory, she brings our protagonists into the fight and kicks a tremendous amount of butt alongside them. Rumored to have performed 99% of her action stunts herself, Ahn Ji-hye shows that maybe she could have some global breakout potential of her own in the action genre.
Don Lee shows off his powerful punch and occasional comedic timing that has made him a global name, but Badland Hunters won’t advance his rise.