'Revenger' is one of those South Korean martial arts flicks that entertain while it lasts, but there's certainly not a lot to look back on. Directed by Seung-Won Lee, it stars Bruce Khan (who has also written the action-oriented screenplay and handled the stunt choreography). The film tries hard to rise above the mundane actioner, however, it feels more like a mere showcase of stunt-skills than a genuine attempt to tell an engaging story.
I agree that these mindless actioners need not have the strongest of storylines, but 'Revenger' does extremely little to build the characters of the protagonist and antagonist. The film is based on a one-liner: a cop sends himself to a prison-like island to avenge the murderer of his family. And that's it! The rest of the movie is an incoherent series of well-choreographed stunt sequences, a few comedic lines from Kim In-kwon, an underwritten subplot about a child and her warrior mom, and a subpar antagonist.
The thing with Bruce Khan is that he lacks the charisma of a Donnie Yen, a Tony Jaa, or an Iko Uwais. He is splendid in the action sequences and moves at the speed of a lightning bolt. But his character (and expression) is one-note throughout. Bruce Khan's character Yool does have an interesting set of roadblocks in the form of a brute sage, a built Yakuza, a machete-wielding hunchback, and a scarred-by-burns chief baddie. This is a clear reminder of The Raid films, and though 'Revenger' never quite hits the right notes, it does boast a fair bit of charm on the action front.
That said, the done-to-death plot and charmless lead (Khan barely has any dialogues) renders it an unmemorable viewing. You'll enjoy the hard-hitting action (that includes fist fights, sword-fights, one-versus-many set pieces, and some neatly executed bow-and-arrow exchanges) and the gore, though there's not much to chew on later. This is a throwaway 100-minute watch and not more. The highlights? Punches and headbutts landing right, machetes tearing through human flesh, oodles of bloodshed, and some brilliant cinematography. The downers? Everything else.
