Overview
A deadly assassin seeks redemption but is haunted by her past as she navigates a new life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- visceral
- propulsive
- brooding
- action movie night
- korean cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's kinetic action and inventive choreography compelling, even when its convoluted melodrama divided opinion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
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.
Films like The Villainess, and why
The Handmaiden
shares kinetic korean action filmmaking, revenge-driven plotting, and a highly trained female assassin protagonist
Lady Snowblood
shares stylish female-led revenge violence, covert criminal worlds, and intense hand-to-hand combat
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
shares nonlinear assassin backstory, visceral close-quarters action, and a determined woman pursuing revenge
Nikita
shares espionage action, brutal choreography, and a protagonist shaped by institutional violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Jung Byung-gil
- Release Date
- 2017-06-08
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (800)
Cast
- Kim Ok-vin
- Shin Ha-kyun
- Sung Joon
- Kim Seo-hyung
- Cho Eun-ji
- Lee Seung-joo
- Jung Hae-kyun
- Park Cheol-min
- Son Min-ji
- Min Ye-ji
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- 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, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel.
