Revelations: Shin Hyun-been, Ryu Jun-yeol power Korean thriller where no one's a hero but everyone's a villain

If you’re in the mood for a film that packs as much punch as a fistful of punches in a dark alley, Revelations is the thriller you didn’t know you needed. From the director who brought you the pulse-pounding Train to Busan and the mind-bending Hellbound, this South Korean film is currently the center of all discourse—it’s a gritty, gut-wrenching, character-driven rollercoaster that’s anything but a slow-burn. Two hours of relentless suspense and moral ambiguity await.

Revelations stars Shin Hyun-been as Yeonhee, a detective grappling with the trauma of her sister's past at the hands of a sadistic criminal, and Ryu Junyeol as a pastor.

What’s it about?

In Revelations, we follow a pastor and a police detective as they get wrapped up in the mess of a recently released criminal who’s slipping back into his sadistic old ways. The pastor believes that it’s his duty to rid the world of this evil. But is he really hearing messages? Meanwhile, the detective—whose sister was tortured by the very same criminal—has a personal vendetta that might cloud her judgment. It’s a deadly cocktail of faith, vengeance, and justice, served cold.

No one’s a hero, but everyone’s a villain.

As with most South Korean genre films, Revelations thrives on its morally gray characters. The pastor’s actions are far from saintly. The detective? She’s haunted by her sister’s death and might not be as capable of impartiality as she thinks. And then there’s the criminal—pure evil on the surface, but is he a monster, or a pawn in a game bigger than him? Revelations gives you no easy answers, only tough questions that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

What fans say

Fans have been divided, but all agree on one thing—Revelations hits hard. One fan gushes about Hyunbeen's performance, noting how her portrayal of Yeonhee’s guilt feels so real you can almost feel the weight of her tears. Another fan calls the film a "typical K-movie" with an uneven narrative, but praises the actors for salvaging it. As one fan puts it, “Ryu Junyeol’s madness is next level.”