The Villainess

A deadly assassin seeks redemption but is haunted by her past as she navigates a new life.

Critics broadly found the film's kinetic action and inventive choreography compelling, even when its convoluted melodrama divided opinion.

• The opening assault and later fights use aggressive camera movement and close subjective framing to place viewers inside Sook-hee's attacks.
• Sook-hee is a government-trained killer whose choices, relationships, and revenge quest determine the film's trajectory.
• Sook-hee is trained from childhood, recruited by the state, and confronted with secrets linking her former life to her new identity.
• Sook-hee's new life with Joong-sang and Hyun-soo gradually uncovers dark secrets about her training and former relationships.

• The Handmaidenshares kinetic korean action filmmaking, revenge-driven plotting, and a highly trained female assassin protagonist
• Lady Snowbloodshares stylish female-led revenge violence, covert criminal worlds, and intense hand-to-hand combat
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1shares nonlinear assassin backstory, visceral close-quarters action, and a determined woman pursuing revenge
• Nikitashares espionage action, brutal choreography, and a protagonist shaped by institutional violence

Director

Jung Byung-gil

Release Date

2017-06-08

Runtime

129 min

Rating

6.9 / 10 (809)

What is The Villainess about?

A government-bound assassin attempts to build an ordinary life while buried loyalties and violent secrets drag her back into a cycle of revenge.

What is The Villainess like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Villainess as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.

Is The Villainess violent?

Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Villainess as graphic.

What did critics think of The Villainess?

Critics broadly found the film's kinetic action and inventive choreography compelling, even when its convoluted melodrama divided opinion.

Which films are like The Villainess?

Films with a similar feel include The Handmaiden, Lady Snowblood, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and Nikita.

How long is The Villainess?

The Villainess runs 129 minutes.

Where can I watch The Villainess?

In United States, The Villainess streams on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla, Fandango at Home Free, YouTube Free, Hi-YAH, Plex, Plex Player, Plex Channel, OnDemandKorea, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Fawesome, Xumo Play, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel, Amasian TV, Amazon MX Player.