In the bonus track of "The Villainess," the director described how his goal was to make a new type of action film, one with carefully choreographed feminine movements for the protagonist. Unfortunately, there was nothing novel about this vapid martial arts film. It was never even clear whether the leading lady was a villainess or a heroine.
From start to finish, the narrative of the film was strained and unbelievable. The use of flashbacks was especially awkward, as the plot shifted back in two timeframes of Sook-hee as a little girl watching her father die and in a second period while living with her first husband. The abrupt transitions into the past were sloppy, and the result was to break up the pacing of this seemingly endless film. An absurd subplot had Sook-hee spending her spare time acting in amateur plays, which was intended as an artsy, abstract world analogous to her own turbulent life.
While the actress playing Sook-hee was versatile, athletic, and at times credible in her emotional choices, it was clear that her work was not in character development, but primarily in martial arts. The convoluted plot asked the audience to buy into a ridiculous scenario that implied that if Sook-hee were to carry out a final mission in a sleeper cell, then she would be granted her freedom. But that never happened.
The characters in this film were of a uniform and nasty type such that the only truly sympathetic character was the child who was killed. This was an unpleasant experience in which every character seemed to be a pawn in some larger scheme that was never explained. By the finale, the audience was wondering the following: Will the revenge cycle ever end? Will the disgusting special effects of gore never cease? And will we at last move to the closing credits?
From start to finish, the narrative of the film was strained and unbelievable. The use of flashbacks was especially awkward, as the plot shifted back in two timeframes of Sook-hee as a little girl watching her father die and in a second period while living with her first husband. The abrupt transitions into the past were sloppy, and the result was to break up the pacing of this seemingly endless film. An absurd subplot had Sook-hee spending her spare time acting in amateur plays, which was intended as an artsy, abstract world analogous to her own turbulent life.
While the actress playing Sook-hee was versatile, athletic, and at times credible in her emotional choices, it was clear that her work was not in character development, but primarily in martial arts. The convoluted plot asked the audience to buy into a ridiculous scenario that implied that if Sook-hee were to carry out a final mission in a sleeper cell, then she would be granted her freedom. But that never happened.
The characters in this film were of a uniform and nasty type such that the only truly sympathetic character was the child who was killed. This was an unpleasant experience in which every character seemed to be a pawn in some larger scheme that was never explained. By the finale, the audience was wondering the following: Will the revenge cycle ever end? Will the disgusting special effects of gore never cease? And will we at last move to the closing credits?