Reviving his ferocious combative style, the action star is back with the ‘Badland Hunters’ as an unrepentant hegemony through his mission
In the film, Nam-san (Ma Deong-seok, middle) is the saving grace when a girl is taken hostage by a psychotic doctor. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Badland Hunters—the title ticks for me in the first place, and with those visuals, it teases intrigue bouncing off the walls to the point that there’s no dialing back! It’s Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee, in action after all. Flexing his beefed-up power, he turns into a dogged wasteland hunter in the dystopian action movie. The energy is insane, and as is apparent, it unleashes an upsurge of exhilarating visuals that follow along with the rapid post-apocalyptic fiction.
It opens in a decimated Seoul—still reeling from the shock of an intense earthquake—devolved into a chaotic dystopian badland of survivors coping with emergencies. Awash in tyranny and warnings of the impending extinction of humanity, the unrelenting Nam-san (Ma) is likely the saving grace when Suna (Roh Jeong-eui) is taken hostage by a psychotic doctor, Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-joon), who claims he’ll help all survive.
Ace martial arts choreographer and expert fight and stunt director Heo Myung-haeng marks his directorial debut with Badland Hunters. Heo, who oversaw action scenes in blockbusters namely Train to Busan (2016), The Roundup series (2022, 2023), Vincenzo (2021), and Moving (2023), while also honing Salman Khan’s action technique in Radhe (2021), among various Korean hits, will [I can imagine] have us hooked through a stellar action spectacle.
With his trusted ally, Choi ji-wan (Lee Jun-young), at his side, Ma’s Nam-san is at the core of it all. He’s here to further cement his enviable status as a hip action star by letting loose his gruff guy attitude in the most stylish way.
The sheer enjoyment of watching him bash the bad and clean lines is unending. MMA fighters Kevin Randleman and Mark Coleman were purportedly personally trained by the actor. Thus, it’s nothing new, and it’s his real skill set that enables Ma Dong-seok to present unblemished action scenes onscreen.
As a lead in previous films—Derailed (2016), The Bros. (2017), The Outlaws (2017), Unstoppable (2018), Champion (2018), The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019), The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos (2019), and The Roundup (2022)—Ma has maintained acclaim alongside supporting roles in Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018) and Ashfall (2019). Gilgamesh was his Hollywood breakthrough role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick Eternals (2021)—the most formidable Eternal, adept at creating a shell of cosmic energy—the pioneering mainstream Korean superhero.
Reviving his ferocious combative style, Ma is back with the Badland Hunters, as an unrepentant hegemony through his mission. As for the film, its streaming service, Netflix, aptly notes that with its “big names, thrilling action, and spectacular scenes,” Badland Hunters will “redefine Korean blockbusters.” The film releases on January 26.