Essential for action fans.
Over the last few years, films like Oldboy, Train to Busan, The Host and The Chaser have established the South Korean film industry as one of the most innovative ones around.
Given Hollywood’s penchant for remaking, borrowing and stealing from some brilliant foreign films, it’s best to follow Empire’s review of The Villainess and “see it before everyone tries to copy the best bits.”
If you loved the kinetic action in The Raid, John Wick and Kill Bill then you’re in for a treat because right from the off, The Villainess is a pure adrenaline rush.
We might be entering Oscar season, but who can say no to an all-out actioner that has just enough plot to keep your brain engaged?
We’re not going to give too many spoilers away but the opening scene that’s set in a corridor is one of the most breathtaking actions sequences that you’ll see. Imagine The Raid mixed with Daredevil but with even more dead henchmen! Hacked, stabbed, punched, kicked – this is essential viewing for any fans of The Raid.
As for the story, the plot revolves around a woman named Sook-hee. Since she was a little girl, Sook-hee was raised to be a deadly assassin.
After gladly accepting the chance to start a new life with South Korea’s Intelligence Agency as a sleeper agent, she’s promised complete freedom after ten years of service. But soon after taking on her new identity as a theatre actress, she begins to realise that for someone who has lived as a killer her entire life, normal is no easy task.
When two men from her past suddenly appear, it unlocks dark secrets that should’ve stayed hidden. The fallout is swift and explosive.
Variety stated that it’s “one-of-a-kind for its delirious action choreography and overall narrative dementia” while IGN believe that any “fans of John Wick and Kill Bill should generally be impressed with what director Jung has done to put a twist on the typical revenge thriller.”
The Villainess got a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and it currently holds a rating of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Check it out when it’s released this week.
Clip via – ArrowFilmsUK
