I’ve been seeing trailers for the South Korean action film HOPE (2026). Being a fan of the country’s cinema, it definitely piqued my interest. As I investigated a little further, I saw that it was written and directed by Na Hong-Jin who did the same for the unsettling THE WAILING back in 2016. Digging even deeper, I recognized actor Hwang Jung-Min as the lead of the film. He’s been great for a long time, starring in South Korean classics like A BITTERSWEET LIFE (2005), NEW WORLD (2013), VETERAN (2015), and the director’s THE WAILING. This being my birthday week, I decided I’d start it off with a bang by heading to the movie theater to see what this intriguing film has up its sleeves! 

The movie gets right into the action as we meet small town Police Chief Beom Seok (Hwang Jung-Min) in the middle of his investigation of the vicious death of a cow. The incident was reported by a group of hunters who think the wounds look out of the ordinary. Wondering if a bear or a tiger might be on prowl as he’s driving back, he arrives in town where all hell has broken loose. It seems there’s something causing death and destruction, but it’s way too powerful to be a bear or a tiger. I won’t say anymore because the fun of the first half of the film is discovering just what the hell is bringing such chaos to this normally sleepy harbor town. 

HOPE has a lot of good stuff going for it. The performances from the leads are at the very top of my list, beginning with Hwang Jung-min as the police chief. He has this ability to project goofy exasperation better than anyone else I know. A lesser actor might take this too far, but not Hwang. He is able to balance the film’s absurd humor while also being tough and fearless when he needs to be. He’s great here. Next up is Hoyeon (SQUID GAME), who plays police officer Sung Ae. I won’t say too much, but her character’s introduction into the film is incredibly fun and badass. I loved it, and you can’t help but love her as the film progresses. Finally, I really enjoyed actor Zo In-sung’s performance as one of the hunters who reports the suspicious cow death at the beginning of the film. At first he seems like a guy being set up as a victim, but he turns out to be much more than that by the end. I’ll have to give writer Na Hong-jin credit for creating such fun characters. I’ll mention here that Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are also in the cast, but I won’t say anything more about their characters. 

After actually watching the film, I can say that writer-director Na Hong-jin really did come up with a very interesting premise for HOPE. The first half of the film is so fun as our characters fight for their lives and simultaneously try to figure out what the hell they’re dealing with. I would say this is the best section of the film. When we finally see what our ragtag group is up against, we get an exciting, non-stop action sequence that ends with a bit of luck and relief for our heroes. Up to this point, the movie has been a violent, funny, action-packed ride!

The second half of the film, while still enjoyable, isn’t quite as successful as the first. The primary issue is the extreme length of the film. HOPE clocks in at over two and a half hours. While it continues on as a non-stop action ride, I think this movie would be just as good at only two hours long by cutting some repetitive action sequences. The last part of the film introduces a whole new storyline solely to set up future sequels. HOPE had the biggest box office opening weekend in South Korea thus far in 2026, so the sequels will definitely be coming. I’m certainly looking forward to them, but if you’re looking for closure for any of these characters, you won’t get it here. There is an almost unbelievable mid-credits sequence that’s truly absurd, but it’s also not out of line with the craziness of the film we just watched. Don’t miss that part! 

For me, watching HOPE at the theater was 100% worth my time and an awesome start to my birthday week. It’s not a perfect film, but I truly enjoyed it, and I’ll be on the lookout for the sequels!