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The Villainess

Original title: Aknyeo
  • 2017
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
18K
YOUR RATING
The Villainess (2017)
Sook-hee (KIM Ok-vin) was brought up to become a deadly assassin. She gets a second chance in life when South Korea's Intelligence Agency recruits her to become a sleeper cell. Her new identity is a theater actress and comes with a promise of complete freedom after serving the country for 10 years. But living a normal life is no easy task, and when two men suddenly appear in her life, she uncovers secrets of her past.
Play trailer1:59
1 Video
46 Photos
One-Person Army ActionActionThriller

A female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.A female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.A female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.

  • Director
    • Jung Byung-gil
  • Writers
    • Jung Byung-gil
    • Byeong-sik Jung
  • Stars
    • Kim Ok-bin
    • Shin Ha-kyun
    • Sung Jun
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    18K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jung Byung-gil
    • Writers
      • Jung Byung-gil
      • Byeong-sik Jung
    • Stars
      • Kim Ok-bin
      • Shin Ha-kyun
      • Sung Jun
    • 121User reviews
    • 146Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Trailer

    Photos46

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    + 40
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    Top cast19

    Edit
    Kim Ok-bin
    Kim Ok-bin
    • Sook-hee
    Shin Ha-kyun
    Shin Ha-kyun
    • Joong-sang
    Sung Jun
    Sung Jun
    • Hyun-soo
    Kim Seo-hyeong
    Kim Seo-hyeong
    • Chief Kwon
    Jo Eun-ji
    Jo Eun-ji
    • Kim Seon
    Min Ye-ji
    • Sook-hee (young)
    Na Ae-jin
    • Prayer center trainee
    Seo Beom-sik
    • Shadow #2
    Lee Chae-yun
    Lee Chae-yun
    Park Chul-min
    Park Chul-min
    • Sook-hee's father
    Baek Dong-hyeon
    Jung Hae-kyun
    Jung Hae-kyun
    • Jang-chun
    Kwon Hyuk-bum
    • Joong Sang's subordinate #2
    Jung In-tae
    Jung In-tae
    Son Min-ji
    • Min-Joo
    Lee Seung-chul
    • Bus driver
    Lee Seung-joo
    • Choon-Mo
    Jung Sung-Yoon
    • Briefing man
    • Director
      • Jung Byung-gil
    • Writers
      • Jung Byung-gil
      • Byeong-sik Jung
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews121

    6.618K
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    Featured reviews

    7Shortterm12

    Fantastic action scenes but mediocre clichéd story

    This movie reminds me of Batman vs Superman, fantastic action sequence, good cinematography and great score but terrible script. The movie action sequence are like Kingsman except much more brutal. The cinematography was also beautiful. However the main characters were dumb and the villains were cartoonishly evil. You could see the plot twist and the characters motives as soon as you saw the character. If the movie had a simple plot like Raid or Die Hard, it may have been spectacular but instead it tries to be Shakespearean Hamlet saga and fails.
    8Fella_shibby

    La Femme Nikita on modafinil, creatine n beta alanine.

    This is how female assassin movies shud be.

    Was on my radar for a long time. Saw this recently. The plot may look n sound like La Femme Nikita n various films on female assassin turned rogue but check out the brutal action sequences.

    The film moves at a good pace, the screenplay is captivating with lots of twists n turns.

    This one has lottuva action scenes n very well choreographed.

    The motorcycle ninja fight scene in this movie is again replicated in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum which is also a terrific action entertainer.
    7Top_Dawg_Critic

    Good, but could've been great

    It shows that this film was written and directed by novice Byung-gil Jung, and although most of the directing was decent (some was bad), he really failed in the writing department. There were too many convoluted flashbacks that were mainly out of place. The editing was also terrible, as this film needed to be mended much better. The fight scenes where choreographed really well, and the acting was on point, especially from the lead Ok-bin Kim. Had this film been screen-written properly and most of the flashbacks organized and edited correctly, and the 129 min length trimmed down to about 90 or 100 mins, this film would have been great. Still, an impressive production that deserves my 7/10
    6joebloggscity

    A blatant Nikita steal - Great action scenes but little else of note

    I'm feeling very underwhelmed by this film despite being a great fan of the best of Korean cinema. It's been well advertised of late, but don't fall for any possible hype on the movie posters. I don't even think the title makes sense for this movie.

    The biggest problem is that this film is simply too close a homage to the classic French film Nikita, and it's not unfair to say a blatant steal. If you've never seen Nikita then you'll likely enjoy this, otherwise you'll be slumped in your chair for the duration. As there has already been a US remake and TV series based on Nikita, most will already know the premise, further denting its value.

    Basically think of 4-5 core characters and themes in Nikita, and you'll find their mirror in this film. Run the two side by side and they are probably the same. Some of the scenes should had a copyright watermark from Luc Besson in the corner they were that alike.

    The greatest selling point is the action, with a handful of exceptionally well choreographed and filmed scenes that will leave you applauding, especially the opening run in. Hollywood should take a look in. I haven't been excited and amazed watching action scenes for a long while.

    Beyond that, there's little to write home about. Story is a copy, the acting is rarely challenging (although our lead is very good) and the dialogue is so so. Shame really.

    The twists and turns are unexciting, and are quite frankly poor and unchallenging. There's little good to say there.

    Saying all that, our lead has a young child who steals the scenes whenever she's there, so that's a small saving grace and release valve from all the rest.

    Disappointing, but still very watchable for the action scenes if little else. If you do want to watch a great alternative Korean film this year, then I would very much recommend The Handmaiden, watch that instead of this.
    5Groverdox

    Made for highlight clips

    "The Villainess" is a movie with a bravura opening and ending sequence, and a middle which reveals its filmmaker has no idea how to do anything other than bravura sequences. The whole movie couldn't have been like that, apparently - especially not at the idiotic two-hour plus length that it goes on for.

    The movie has flashbacks that really add nothing, plastic surgery makeovers that also add nothing except confusion, and a bad guy who changes for no reason I could discern.

    It also doesn't evince any sympathy for its protagonist. You want to see her kick butt, sure - but she only does that at the beginning and end of the movie, really. Other than that, you don't care, and I was never really sure who the main bad guy was.

    This is a movie that was basically made to be cut up into clips and watched on Youtube, saving everyone's time. Don't bother trying to sit through the whole thing.

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    Related interests

    Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
    One-Person Army Action
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Byung-Gil Jung uses some never-before used cameras, some extremely small to achieve the look of the movie and give the viewer the impression that they are experiencing everything first hand.
    • Goofs
      The bottle of Châteaux Margaux in the restaurant scene rotates on the table whilst no-one is drinking or touches it.
    • Quotes

      Sook-hee: Let me show you what you've made me into.

    • Connections
      Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Best Female Revenge Movies of All Time (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      When You and I Were Young, Maggie
      Lyrics by George W. Johnson

      Music by J.A. Butterfield

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Villainess?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 8, 2017 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official sites
      • Arrow Films (United Kingdom)
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Ác Nữ Báo Thù
    • Filming locations
      • Seoul, South Korea
    • Production companies
      • Apeitda
      • Next Entertainment World (NEW)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,741
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,238
      • Aug 27, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,737,458
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 4m(124 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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