After scrolling through Netflix looking for martial arts movies seen as there isnt a martial arts category, dam you Netflix. I came across a South Korean Action flick called Revenger. Never heard of it, never heard of anyone in it but after watching the trailer I thought it looked awesome and boy was I right.
Revenger tells your basic clique story of an ex-cop Kim Yool (Bruce Khan) out for revenge on the guy that murdered his wife and kid. The movie starts with the story of how the cop has brutally murdered underworld members in revenge for his family death. As a result, he has been sentenced to death and sent to an island where all death row inmates are sent. As you can imagine the island is full of serials killers and convicts of the worst kind. There are no prisons on this island and all convicts just roam free. The island itself is like a death sentence. It turns out the guy that actually killed his wife and kid, Kuhn (Park Hee-soon) is also on the island. He was the ruthless leader of the people Yool took revenge on. Kuhn now kind of runs things on the island, controlling his band of killers, a weird hunchback and female assassins. He is also covered in bandages after being badly burned.
Upon arriving on the island Yool is looking like Hannibal lecture, in a straitjacket with a face guard. He finds a young kid and mother being attacked by Kuhns men. He dispatches them with ease even in a straitjacket using just his legs. Yool is a man of very few words, barely saying a sentence throughout the entire movie, what little he does say is usually the same thing “Where is Kuhn” The kid he saves says his now unconscious and currently poisoned mother knows where he is so he carries her back to a little-hidden village place where they live. It’s full of crazy comical characters. Including a crazy old schizophrenic herbal doctor who goes crazy from time to time, wearing lipstick before regaining his senses. He saves the mother who then recognises Yool blaming him for her being on the island but it never really expands on this. The plot mainly consists of a flashback to Yool family getting killed.
So Yool goes on his journey to find Kuhn and finally take his revenge. What follows are some truly spectacular and bone-crunching fight scenes. This is the first time I’ve seen Bruce Khan, the way he fights and moves reminds me very much of Donnie Yen, effortless performing lightning quick punches and spin kicks then standing up straight like nothing’s happened. Using a sword like a master samurai. It’s hard to believe the guy is 50, especially when he goes shirtless showing a physique any gym goer would be impressed by and proud to have. He’s in incredible shape. Looking at his IMDB filmography there really isn’t much at all. I really hope this puts him out there and to see him in more movies. He is a real talent that came out of nowhere.
In conclusion, the story is nothing complicated, no drama and no side love story, it’s the action where this movie truly shines. In terms of fight scenes, it’s easily on par with movies like The Raid and Ong Bak. if you want a kick arse revenge movie with a hard as nails protagonist who nobody should mess with then check this out on Netflix.
Rating: 3.5/5 belts
