Released: June 2017
Director: Byung-gil Jung
Not Rated
Run Time: 129 Minutes
Distributor(USA): Well Go USA
Genre: Action/Thriller
Cast:
Ok-bin Kim: Sook-hee
Ha-kyun Shin: Joong-sang
Jun Sung: Hyun-soo
Seo-hyeong Kim
Eun-ji Jo: Kim Seon
As someone who is an avid fan of Asian cinema, I’ve seen my fair share of truly excellent films and also my share of some absolute trash. Asian cinema is no different than the West in this regard. I’ve seen films from all over Asia: Vietnam, China, Japan, Indonesia, India, and Thailand. Each country has its own unique visual flair and style. While many martial arts films tend to come from Hong Kong, they no longer hold the monopoly on the Asian action film scene. Some of the countries I mentioned have been able to pull their weight as far as action goes. There is a country in Asia that I’ve found that can really hit it out of the park in terms of cinematography, choreography and acting. That country is South Korea. South Korea has put out some of my personal favorite action films including Shadowless Sword, Memories of the Sword and thrillers like I Saw The Devil. These guys don’t pull punches when it comes to action, and that’s a good thing. However, not everything that they have done is going to be great. Enter The Villainess, a newly released action-thriller.
The story of The Villainess involves Sook-hee, a young woman recruited into a shadowy agency who is a personal quest to avenge her father’s murder. That is the plot in a nutshell and it’s not really a bad set up. It’s actually quite compelling when it makes sense. That’s one of the biggest problems I have with the film: The narrative. The narrative is so fractured and all over the place that it’s really difficult to follow what’s happening. In my honest opinion, a fractured narrative, even on purpose, almost never works. Why? Because the audience tends to get confused about who is who and what is what. All those flashbacks are not really appropriate for a revenge-thriller. The pacing of the film is also completely whacked. The opening and closing acts of the film are non-stop action, but the middle section of the film grinds the whole damn thing to a halt for character development. I wouldn’t have minded so much if the film didn’t jump back and forth between the past and the present. It doesn’t even tell you when it’s going to do that. As a result, the second act of the film is a jumbled mess. Don’t get me wrong, we get to learn more about our main character and her desire to live a normal life, but the whole thing is just chopped to bits.
The action is where the film is at its finest. The opening action sequence takes place almost from a first-person perspective a la Hardcore Henry. It’s absolutely bonkers. The knife-fights are really something to behold. Not only that, there’s a totally awesome bike sequences on which a sword fight takes place. I’m not kidding. The best thing is, the whole affair was mostly done without the use of CGI. This is a very bloody film and rightly so. The action is well-choreographed and well shot so we can actually see what’s going on. The gun fights are intense and absolutely brutal. The acting is also very strong across the board. Kim Ok-bin shows that she is more than capable of standing up to the boys. Not only is she a compelling character, she’s also a complete bad-ass when it comes to the action sequences. Everyone here pulls their weight, and the acting is really convincing.
Unfortunately, it’s not just that bloated middle section where the film falls flat. There are certain visual elements that really just don’t work. Some of the action sequences have clearly been enhanced by some CGI and it’s not very good. There’s a sequence in which Sook-hee jumps off a bridge and you can tell right away that it’s blatantly fake. Some of the chase sequences feature some “manipulation” as it were.
There’s a been a lot of hullabaloo about The Villainess being one of the greatest action movies of the year. Some have even compared it to the likes of John Wick and Kill Bill. The sad reality is that it doesn’t even come close to matching those movies. Not in terms of action or narrative. The Villainess is really good when the leash comes off and the action is allowed to explode. Unfortunately, it all comes back to that bloated second act that slows everything down. I’m all for character development in a movie like this, don’t get me wrong. It just could have been a lot better. I’ve seen it done better. I don’t hate the film at all. There’s a lot to like here, but you have to have a bit of patience as the narrative is completely jumbled. Not only that, the film is very depressing. I like dark movies, but there was no real hope to be found in this movie. Ultimately, The Villainess, despite it’s ambition, never really rises to anything more than mediocre. It’s a shame, too. I wanted to love this movie. As it stands, I only love parts of it, while others are just kind of….meh. I really do like Kim Ok-bin as an actress, though. She can kick ass like it’s nobody’s business. She just needs a better film to showcase her talents. As it stands, The Villainess is passable, but nothing more.
My Final Recommendation: Rent it first to see if you like it. 6.5/10