The Villainess starts promisingly: a mesmerizing, brutal action sequence
in which the main protagonist – a cold-blooded female assassin named Sook-hee (Kim
Ok-bin) – takes on an entire drug syndicate in their base of operations, and this is
shown in her POV. Think Oldboy’s hallway brawl mixed with the energy
of the church scene from Kingsman: The Secret Service and projected through Hardcore Henry first-person shooter visuals. That’s
how glorious it is.
After killing the last gang
member, she is apprehended by the police arriving at the scene.
Soon, a clandestine government intelligence agency takes her into their custody, bringing her to a black site where female sleeper agents are trained. The Chief of the project (Kim Seo-hyung)
promises her a life of freedom and pension once she performs ten years of
service. She agrees, mostly for the sake
of her baby, whom she’s apparently pregnant with.
After a few years, she rises
above the other trainees and is soon released in the field. She assumes the facade of a normal life,
raising her child as a single parent and working as a theater actress named Chae
Yeon-soo. Meanwhile, a friendly but
intrusive neighbor named Jung Hyun-soo (Sung Joon) takes a fancy to her. Initially suspicious and annoyed, she
eventually warms up to him, and they eventually get married – partly due to the order of the Chief, in order to further improve her cover.
In flashbacks, it’s revealed that
Sook-hee, in order to take her revenge against those people that murdered her father, had become part of a criminal organization in which she was trained to kill at a young age. She thought this part of her life is over, but
in one of her assignments, she is shocked to encounter two men from her past
who threaten the new life she’s now living as they bring forth secrets that will
shaken everything she believes in.
Somehow, The Villainess became one of my most anticipated movies this
year. I read good things about it that
made me pumped to watch it for myself.
Yes, I’ve been excitedly looking forward to this. And that’s probably why I’m actually disappointed
with it. I had high hopes that I don’t
think it met.
First, let’s get this straight. The
Villainess is by no means a bad film.
More than being an exciting, bloody action thriller, it also has the emotional
depth of a decent drama. The
performances are great, especially from the lead Kim Ok-bin, who displays the believable competence, fluid mobility, and formidable screen presence required for a solid action heroine as well as the range and nuance of a solid dramatic actress.
The action is great. However, I think the highest part of the film
is already its opening, and nowhere in the movie is the satisfaction from it replicated. There’s a yakuza motorcycle
set piece that’s quite a rush to behold as well. But it’s not as jaw-dropping and exhilarating
as the first seven minutes of the movie.
I think that’s the main reason I
felt disappointed with this film. In a
sense, everything goes downhill from that amazing start. The slow, emotional, and quiet scenes also
make it feel that the action stuff are few and far between. Now, regardless if that’s true or not, that’s
somehow the effect of the strong drama element in the plot. In relation to this, it’s also shockingly
boring at some points.
In addition, the script isn’t as
polished, imaginative, and compelling as I wanted to. The storytelling is uneven, and the huge reveals
are pretty predictable. In a lot of
ways, it seems like a weaker version of Kill
Bill.
Nonetheless, my disappointment
for this film doesn’t negate the fact that it’s very good. Adding up its positives, I still get to like
it overall. It’s impressively well-shot
and infused with a sense of stylishness.
The plot, though flawed, is nonetheless functional and hits some gratifying
notes. And, again, it has great performances
and enjoyable action set pieces.
Though it
wasn’t as impactful to me as I wanted it to be, I’m sure others will be blown
away by this movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment