Movie Review: The Villainess (恶女)

This 2017 South Korean movie depicts the story of a female assassin and her espionage missions so be forewarned that there's violence and gore.

Since a girl, Sook-hee had seen enough terrors and the cruelty of life ever since she witnessed her father being murdered by his friend over greed. Just when she felt hopeless, a man rescued her and through him she was raised to be a deadly assassin. But unexpected circumstances arises and she found herself captured and kept in the cell in an intelligence agency. There, she underwent a plastic surgery and took on a new identity. Sook-hee became history and Chae Yeon-soo was born. The agency has promised her freedom after ten years of service but before then she has to take up all the missions assigned by them with no questions. Meanwhile, the agency has also planted one of their male agents (starring Sung Joon) to spy on her, posing as her next door neighbour. 

Yeon-soo has no problem with the agency's stringent condition although her attention is mainly on her young daughter. Her relationship with her "neighbour" becomes a bit complicated as she finds herself liking him, but a mission leads her to confronting her past and unlocks a few dark secrets which results to an explosive revenge and Yeon-soo knew she couldn't turn her back no matter how much she look forward to normalcy.

(Credit Source)

(Credit Source)

I've to admit I'm squeamish when violence and gore are concerned but I thought this movie was quite well executed and that the shooting technique (no pun intended) is artistic in some ways (e.g. the opening scene made you feel like you're Sook-hee in a video game). While there are lots of action scenes and one might expect the story is filled with cold-blooded characters and more revenge and killings, surprisingly there is still a thread of humanity left as the story progresses. Is there even a love story here? I'm sure inquiring minds want to know. Yes, there is, although it is not a major plot and it doesn't end happily. This is not a movie for everyone, that's for sure, but it is a thrilling ride for fans of the genre and Kim Ok-bin portrayed her roles (be it Sook-hee or Yeon-soo) perfectly through her expressive acting skill both in the fighting and emotional scenes. 

(The Villainess trailer)

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