“Badland Hunters” is a 2024 Korean movie in the genre of action and adventure, co-written by D.P. creator Kim Bo-tong and Kwak Jae-min, and directed by Heo Hyeong Haeng, it was released on January 26, 2024 on Netflix.
Starring Ma Dong Seok as Nam San, Lee Hee Joon as Yang Ki Su, Lee Jun Young as Choi Ji Wan, Roh Jeong Eui as Han Su Na, and Ahn Ji Hye as Lee Eun Ho in the lead roles.
Summary: The movie begins with a fight for survival triggered by a devastating earthquake that claimed many lives. We witness the thrilling and adventurous struggle for survival as ordinary people are pushed to extremes, encountering sinister individuals along the way. Among them is an evil doctor who has conducted cruel experiments on numerous subjects, resulting in a deadly showdown. The doctor’s motives stem from a desperate desire to resurrect his daughter, driving him to carry out a series of disturbing and horrifying experiments.
Here are 10 Jaw-Dropping Scenes from Badland Hunters that Will Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat
1) A Fight for Survival (04:02)
After a devastating earthquake sets the scene at the beginning of the movie, we witness the world transform into a barren, desolate landscape, with widespread destruction and few survivors. Money loses its value, and a barter system emerges, with food becoming the most sought-after commodity. Clothing and shelter become secondary priorities for survival.
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Amidst this harsh reality, we follow Choi Ji-Wan as he confronts a crocodile, demonstrating his familiarity with the area by swiftly dispatching it with a flaming arrow to the eye. As the crocodile lies still, seemingly defeated, Ji-Wan approaches, only for it to suddenly lunge at him.
Thankfully, Nam-San intervenes, saving Ji-Wan by killing the crocodile and offering it for trade in the emerging barter economy. Gold and jewelry, once symbols of wealth, prove to be worthless in this new world order.
2) Losing Goodness as People Get Very Desperate (14:09)
In this scene, a group of rough-looking men arrives at the bus district claiming to be from the Jansil Police Station. They show a piece of paper with a sketch of a man they’re searching for and start picking up people who seem familiar, even taking a woman wearing jewelry. We soon realize they’re not searching for the man but acting on their own selfish desires. When they try to take a large man forcefully, he fights back and gets his hand sliced, scaring everyone around. Then they target Han Su-Na, trying to take her away from her grandmother.
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Choi Ji-Wan steps in to help but ends up getting beaten up until Nam-san intervenes. He stops the fight and scares off the other gang members by revealing his identity as Nam-san, someone feared by many. This scene shows that fights and bloodshed are common, and people are taken against their will for selfish reasons. The public can’t do anything about it because they fear for their lives. Right and wrong don’t matter; it’s all about selfish gains.
3) Tricked in the Light (30:09)
A group of well-dressed people is seen arriving at the bus district, engaging in conversation with Han Su-Na and her grandmother. Nam-San and Choi Ji-Wan notice this and approach them. During the conversation, they learn that the lady from the group is a teacher and part of a volunteering team. She explains that there is a safe place set up in Seoul, prioritizing the protection of families with teenagers.
Han Su-Na questions why they were chosen, to which the lady responds that they are prioritizing families with teens. It is agreed upon, and families in similar situations are to go with them. Along the way, they also take the elderly, claiming they are tired and drained. However, they lead the elderly to a dangerous location and push the old man down a deep pit for death.
The grandmother passes away from a knife stab. Nam-San and Choi Ji-Wan intervene and fight with them. Meanwhile, Han Su-Na is taken away in a helicopter with a heavy heart and suspicions. She searches for her grandmother but is distracted by the teacher until she secretly witnesses a failed experiment and the killing of a father by a doctor. She finds herself trapped there.
4)The Fight with Human-Like Mutants (30:40)
When Choi Ji-Wan sees the grandmother, in no time he also witnesses two men attacking by firing at him as they notice him. Nam-San bravely took the arrows and stabbed both men in the chest, but they quickly got back up and removed the arrows. They weren’t normal at all.
The fight continued, and no matter how hard they were hit, the two men wouldn’t die. Even when their chest were pierced with arrows or their face smashed against rocks, or when one was hanging in the air and cutting the rope hurting his leg as it bled by being cut from the knife, they stayed alive. Lee Eun-Ho joined the fight to help Choi Ji-Wan. He attacked one of the men and sliced his neck, finally ending the fight. These mutant-like humans seemed almost invincible, feeling little pain and surviving despite serious injuries.
5) The Deadly Game of Leaders Watching People Forced to Fight and Kill (42:04)
In a far-off and lonely spot, there’s a group of wild and unruly people making innocent men fight and even kill, though they don’t want to. The place itself is not taken care of, and there are blood stains everywhere. Other people from the group are watching and cheering. The leader of one gang is called ‘Tiger’, who is big and very tough. Two gangs come head to head to fight, and it gets violent with lots of blood and knives cutting into bodies.
6) Mutant Police Guards (59:44)
Most of the guards, along with sergeants, are under the influence of drugs injected into them. These guards are observed consuming live rats, exhibiting a disturbing behavior characterized by a bubble-like protrusion moving near the back of the ear during injection. It is evident that while some guards willingly partake, others are coerced into it, likely under the authority of Dr. Yang Gi-su. This coercion is possibly aimed at making them stronger or immune to pain, as demonstrated by the two sergeants whom Nam-San and Choi Ji-Wan confront during the scene where they murder the elderly couple.
7) Han Su-Na Captured by Dr.Yang Gi-Su for a New and Painful Experiment (1:10:26)
In “Han Su-Na’s Curiosity and Suspicion,” she stealthily follows the doctor and his workers at night, leading her into a room where a girl lies sleeping with something on her neck. Upon hearing a noise, she quickly hides as the girl on the bed, named ‘Ju-ye’ by her parents, wakes up, only to begin convulsing and foaming at the mouth, seemingly dying. The parents rush in, blaming the doctor, who, in a fit of rage, kills the father. This incident resulted in Dr. Yang Gi-Su discovering Han Su-Na who was hiding and using her as the next experiment.
8) The Excruciating Experiment On Han Su-Na Begins (1:11:16)
The beginning of his experiment on Han Su-Na begins as he injects the first injection inside her; she screams in pain and agony. She is put under so much stress through this experiment, making her feel weak. Something is being sucked from her through a small pipe around her neck as the doctor tells her to hang in there. The sound of his voice seems creepy, although the words used here refer to comfort, however, this is not so in this case. With Han Su-Na still in bed unconscious, he looks at the watery substance all contained in small containers and looks at another human-like form, although no body, and states that ‘Dad did it,’ referring to the structure under glass as his daughter. Han Su-Na comes back to her consciousness and calls him a monster, questioning him if he really thinks that this is the way to save his daughter, and states that her grandma told her that people reap what they sow. Han Su-Na is seen to be in so much pain with little energy to even talk.
9) Han Su-Na’s timely rescue: Snatched from the Jaws of Danger (1:31:23)
The moment when Dr. Yang Gi-su takes something to hurt Han Su-Na, Choi Ji-Wan comes in barging, holding the hair of the teacher who works for the doctor. Meanwhile, a police officer comes in and hits Choi Ji-Wan, making him fall. Despite being badly hurt, Choi Ji-Wan does not give up. The doctor tells the teacher and the police guard to take his daughter and prepare her for the next experiment as they shift her to the luggage. As the three – the doctor, the police guard, and the teacher – try to escape, Nam-San comes right at the door. The doctor and the teacher go the other way while the police tries to fight with Nam-San. Nam-San shoots fire and it hits the teacher; however, she manages to close the door. The teacher seems to look very weird with a big forehead and being shot with blood coming out of her mouth. The doctor opens another door, and when he tries to escape, the teacher begs for help, but he does not respond and goes away. She seems to be under the influence of the doctor’s drug. Then, afterward, he throws a bomb inside, which bursts, causing an explosion.
10) Dr. Yang Gi-Su’s Last Chapter of Everything (1:40:00)
We witness the beginning of the end for Dr. Yang Gi-su as he pukes yellow liquid from his mouth during his experiment with Han Su-Na and escapes from the building after throwing the bomb. Afterwards, a group of people arrives and attacks him, to which he responds by shooting at all of them. We begin to see small bubble-like bumps on his face, caused by the experiments he conducted on himself. Subsequently, he quickly checks his luggage, finding his daughter inside, bleeding and destroyed. He cries, vowing to bring her back, and as he does so, he vomits again with yellow liquid. Now, the bumps on his face grow bigger and more disgusting, even appearing on his hands. He spots Nam-San and tries to shoot at him, but Han Su-Na reappears and tells him he was wrong. Before he can fire again, Nam-San shoots at him. Despite this, he remains delusional, murmuring that he wasn’t wrong. He attempts to reach for his gun one last time when Nam-San shoots him in the head, ending his life.
‘Badland Hunters’ Ending Explained
The ending of the Korean movie ‘Badland Hunters’ is very satisfying. It concludes with a final fight involving all the main characters against the enemy, particularly highlighting Nam San’s last battle. Naturally, it is very bloody. The climax reaches its peak when the teacher is betrayed by Dr. Yang Gi-Su, who throws a bomb into the room, resulting in his demise. Fortunately, Choi Ji-Wan and Han Su-Na are saved from the explosion. Ultimately, Dr. Yang Gi-Su faces the consequences of his drug’s aftereffects as he continuously vomits yellow liquid. Until the very end, he refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoing and is ultimately shot in the head by Nam San. The conclusion showcases unity as everyone comes together, assisting each other and establishing a happy community, restarting their lives in the bus district.
