The Villainess

From a young age, Sook-hee is molded by a shadowy crime network into a ruthless operative. She earns a guaranteed release after toiling for ten years, a deadline that shapes every choice she makes. When a hidden history resurfaces, the life she built unravels, leaving her with few loyalties and plenty of fury. As new and old enemies close in, she channels that anger into a relentless, explosively staged campaign against those who corrupted and exploited her. The film fuses sleek visuals with brutal combat and a brisk sense of danger that never lets up. What starts as a personal payback evolves into a larger reckoning with a system that trained her to kill, with danger lurking at every turn.

Released in 2017, The Villainess is directed by Jung Byung-gil, with an original screenplay credited to Byung-gil and Jung Byeong-sik. The film gained attention for its kinetic action and slick editing, marking a standout example of Korean genre cinema worldwide.

The film earned about 8.7 million dollars worldwide on a tiny budget of 125 thousand, a striking return that highlighted how high impact action can outdraw bigger productions and draw attention to Korean genre cinema on the festival circuit too.

With its relentless propulsion and stylized brutality, The Villainess pushed Korean action cinema toward more audacious set pieces. Kim Ok-bin's star turn and the film's signature long takes and brutal fight sequences became talking points in genre circles and inspired later action projects. It sparked conversations about courage in peril.

Critics praised its brisk pace and audacious violence while noting a sharp focus on control, autonomy, and vengeance within a corrupt underworld. The film toys with power dynamics and identity, presenting a fierce protagonist whose past shapes her present choices without softening the blunt moral edges. For action fans worldwide.