Further Afield: Im Jin-soon’s The Villagers (2018)

Originally released back in 2018, Im Jin-soon’s The Villagers (2018) was finally given a stateside release in 2025. No doubt the rise in popularity of leading man Ma Dong-seok (a.k.a Don Lee) has played a part in it seeing the light of day, although this could cause some to expect The Villagers to be a slam bang actioner like Ma’s The Roundup series rather than the mystery thriller it actually is. Whilst The Villagers does have several fight scenes in the film, these aren’t the driving force of the film, with the action being much smaller scale than Ma’s more recent outings. 

That isn’t to say that The Villagers isn’t a worthwhile watch, with the lead performances from Ma and co-star Kim Sae-ron accompanied with the mystery plot managing to hold the attention for the most part, even if the film doesn’t fully hit the landing. 

Ma Dong-seok plays Yeok Gi-cheol, a former boxing champion who has been appointed the new high school PE teacher in an all girls high school, located in a small remote village. He isn’t long in post until the disappearance of local student Han Soo-yeon (Shin Se-hwi) comes to his attention. 

At the same time, Soo-yeon’s best friend Kang Yoo-jin (Kim Sae-ron) is looking into the disappearance herself but is only faced with opposition from the villagers and the local authorities. Witnessing Yoo-jin’s determination inspires Gi-cheol to mount his own investigation, eventually teaming up with Yoo-jin in an attempt to uncover the truth. As their investigation deepens, they begin to uncover dark secrets tied to several people in power, with the case turning out to be more than just a simple disappearance. 

For his directorial debut, director Jim-soon capably handles the separate elements, with the central mystery allowing for him to create a fair amount of suspense and tension, with him peppering the film with the odd fight scene here and there. 

The small town setting certainly adds to the mood of the film, giving it an eerie atmosphere where it’s not always clear who can be trusted. Working from his own screenplay, he is even able to include some social commentary into the proceedings, mainly focusing on corruption and how people are more than willing to turn a blind eye to wrong doing. 

While the film does open strongly, keeping the viewer intrigued, it does unfortunately sag slightly in the middle. This isn’t a deal breaker, as Jim-soon does manage to get the film back on track. Running at only 99 minutes, there isn’t an opportunity for the film to overstay its welcome. We are now a long time past South Korean thrillers being epic lengths. 

Making the main character a former boxer obviously gives Jim-soon the opportunity and reason for there to be some element of action scenes during the investigation. Of course, it’s always great fun to see Ma Dong-seuk busting heads, but here the action felt somewhat misplaced. The fight scenes are all well choreographed, but on occasion they feel as if they stepped in from another movie, with them being in conflict with the more serious tone that Jim-soon has created. Luckily, Jim-soon makes sure to keep them on the right side of plausible. 

By now, most people should know what to expect from Ma Dong-seok, but there is more to him than just being the muscle bound fighter. He brings a level of sympathy to his role that makes his character all the more relatable, with him begrudgingly becoming a hero through his investigation. As is the norm, Ma has an inherent likeability, so it’s easy to root for him as he uncovers the mystery behind the missing Han Soo-yeon. And while the fight’s might border on the line of believability, I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy seeing him kicking ass when the time came. 

The best aspect of the film is probably the relationship that builds between Ma’s Yeok Gi-cheol and Kim Sae-ron’s Kang Yoo-ji. It is through Yoo-ji’s determination that Gi-cheol initially becomes involved in the case, with him clearly being disgusted by the sheer lack of concern over a missing girl. The two of them become reluctant partners, and its through this partnership we get to properly know the characters. On occasion Kim Sae-ron does appear to be left by the wayside when the action kicks in, but other than that she gives a strong performance, full of steely determination. 

Sadly, this would be the last theatrical film Kim Sae-ron would appear in during her lifetime, with her devastatingly committing suicide back in February 2025. Reportedly, this decision was based on the media scrutiny she was subjected to after a drunk driving incident. It would appear that after the shocking suicide of Lee Sun-kyun that South Korean reporters still haven’t learned their lesson. Still, I digress. Rather than focusing on the tragedy of Sae-ron, instead we should look at her performance here as proof of untapped potential. 

The remainder of the supporting cast all do decent work, but I can’t say any of them really stood out from the crowd to make a lasting impression. 

The Villagers won’t go down in the pantheon of classic South Korean thrillers. It is a decent one time watch that will more than keep you entertained, but I can't see anyone coming back to it like they would a Memories of Murder (2003) or I Saw the Devil (2010).

Rating: 3/5