{{short description|2017 film by Jung Byung-gil}} {{Infobox film | name = The Villainess | image = The Villainess.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | native_name = {{Infobox Korean film name/auto|hangul=^악녀|hanja=惡女}} | director = Jung Byung-gil | producer = Moon Young-hwa | writer = Jung Byung-gil<br />Jung Byeong-sik | based_on = | starring = Kim Ok-vin<br />Shin Ha-kyun<br />Sung Joon<br />Kim Seo-hyung<br />Jo Eun-ji | music = Koo Ja-wan | cinematography = Park Jung-hoon | editing = Heo Sun-mi | studio = Independent Filmmakers Group BFG | distributor = Next Entertainment World | released = {{film date|2017|05|21|Cannes|2017|06|08|South Korea|2017|08|25|United States}} | runtime = 129 minutes | country = South Korea | language = Korean | budget = | gross = {{USD|8.8 million}}<ref name=BNUM>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Aknyeo-(South-Korea)#tab=international|title= Aknyeo (2017)|publisher=The Numbers|accessdate=September 11, 2017}}</ref> }}
'''''The Villainess''''' ({{Korean/auto|hangul=^악녀|rr=yes}}) is a 2017 South Korean action thriller film directed by Jung Byung-gil, starring Kim Ok-vin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hancinema.net/the-villainess-kim-ok-bin-swinging-her-swords-105464.html|title="The Villainess" Kim Ok-bin Swinging Her Swords|website=HanCinema|date=April 27, 2017}}</ref> The film had its world premiere at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in May 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hancinema.net/two-korean-films-invited-to-compete-at-cannes-film-festival-105039.html|title=Two Korean Films Invited to Compete at Cannes Film Festival|website=HanCinema|date=April 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=1&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4309&mode=VIEW&returnUrl&searchKeyword|title=THE VILLAINESS Singled Out for Terrific Action at Cannes |website=koreanfilm.or.kr|date=May 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/01/16/2019011601327.html |title = Korean Film to be Remade into U.S. TV Series| date=27 February 2024 }}</ref>
According to Jung, the movie was inspired by ''La Femme Nikita'' by Luc Besson, which he had seen at the age of 10.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/arts/fantasia-film-fest-the-villainess-more-nikita-than-kill-bill|title=Fantasia film fest: The Villainess is more Nikita than Kill Bill |website=Montreal Gazette|last=Dunlevy|first=T'Cha|date=2017-07-12|language=en|access-date=2020-01-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://modernhorrors.com/qa-writerdirector-byung-gil-jung-talks-villainess/|title=Q&A: Writer/Director Byung-gil Jung Talks 'The Villainess'|date=2017-08-22|website=Modern Horrors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-10}}</ref> This is the third time stars Kim Ok-vin and Shin Ha-kyun have worked together, following ''Thirst'' from 2009 and ''The Front Line'' from 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-11 |script-title=ko:'악녀' 김옥빈 |url=https://m.joseilbo.com/news/view.htm?newsid=324172 |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Jose Ilbo |language=ko}}</ref>
==Plot== {{Hatnote|For clarity, this summary is in chronological order, unlike the way the story is told in the actual film.}} Sook-Hee, a 7-year-old girl, witnesses her father's death but does not get a look at the killer's face; she only hears a whistled tune. Jang-Chun, a former friend of her father's who was jealous of a stolen jewel that her father had acquired, is present during the murder and finds the hiding Sook-hee. He kidnaps her and eventually sells her to a child prostitution ring. She is about to be assaulted by a client when assassin Lee Joong-sang saves her. Joong-sang kills the client, and she kills a henchman in the door just before the latter can shoot Joong-sang. Joong-sang takes Sook-hee with him and trains her to be an assassin.
While getting older, Sook-Hee becomes more and more devoted to Joong-sang, and tells him that she is willing to let go of her revenge if he were to marry her. He hesitantly agrees. While on their honeymoon, he fakes saving gang member Choi Chun-Mo and stages his own death. Later, Sook-hee is shown a mangled corpse and told it to be Joong-sang's. She goes on a rampage, taking out the gang Choi Chun-Mo says to have been his target, so her husband's murderers.
Cops eventually surround her. Impressed, South Korea's intelligence agency selects her for recruitment as an asset. They provide her with plastic surgery, fake her death, assign her the new identity of Yeon-soo, and train her and other women in physical and social skills.
Yeon-soo soon learns that she is pregnant. The agency offers her and her child freedom if she is willing to work for them for ten years. She accepts and while in training gives birth to a daughter, Eun-hye. After exceeding her fellow trainees in combat skill, she is assigned her first assassination, in which she accidentally kills her target in front of his daughter. Yeon-soo is later given an apartment to share with Eun-hye. Unknown to Yeon-soo, Kwon-sook, the agency's chief, places agent Jung Hyun-soo in the apartment next door; he is to befriend Yeon-soo and keep tabs on her.
While on a mission with assassin Min-ju, Yeon-soo is caught stealing a phone. Min-ju is badly injured in the ensuing fight, and as punishment for her lackluster performance, Kwon-sook refuses to drive her to an emergency room, letting Min-Ju bleed out in the car. The stolen data contains documents about Choi Chun-Mo. Yeon-soo and Hyun-soo eventually decide to get married; Yeon-soo argues to Kwon-sook that this is to make sure that Eun-hye will not be alone if she were to die. During the ceremony, Kwon-sook calls Yeon-soo, giving her her next target, a man across the street from the venue. Aiming her rifle out a window, Yeon-soo recognizes her target as Joong-sang and, shocked, misses her shot.
Joong-sang eventually identifies Yeon-soo as Sook-hee. He confronts her in a restaurant, and they exchange threats. Later, Joong-sang sends Yeon-soo an audio file that reveals Hyun-soo to be an undercover agent.
Meanwhile, Hyun-soo returns to the apartment with Eun-hye and is attacked by Joong-sang's gang. Hyun-soo reveals to them that Eun-hye is Joong-sang's daughter, hoping for the killings to stop. However, Joong-sang does not care and blows up the apartment, killing Hyun-soo and Eun-hye. Furious, Yeon-soo confronts Kwon-sook, believing the agency to be responsible. Kwon-sook shows her video recordings, revealing Joong-sang's gang to be the murderers. Kwon-sook also plays a recording showing Hyun-soo asking her for permission to marry Yeon-soo "for real", revealing that he was genuinely in love.
Yeon-soo tracks down Joong-sang to a parking garage and kills many of his men. Joong-sang and some of his remaining henchmen eventually speed off in a shuttle bus. Yeon-soo chases after them, crashes the bus and, badly wounded, holds an axe over Joong-sang's head. Joong-sang then whistles the same tune Yeon-soo heard when her father was murdered. Recognizing Joong-sang as her father's murderer, Yeon-soo kills him. The police once again surround her, but she smiles and laughs.
==Cast== * Kim Ok-vin as Sook-hee / Chae Yeon-soo ** Min Ye-ji as young Sook-hee * Shin Ha-kyun as Lee Joong-sang * Sung Joon as Jung Hyun-soo * Kim Seo-hyung as Kwon-sook * Jo Eun-ji as Kim Sun * Lee Seung-joo as Choon-mo * Son Min-ji as Min-joo * Kim Yeon-woo as Eun-hye
===Cameo=== * Jung Hae-kyun as Jang Chun * Park Chul-min as Sook-hee's father * Kim Hye-na as training female rookie
==Release== ''The Villainess'' was released in South Korean cinemas on June 8, 2017.
According to the distributor Next Entertainment World the film was sold prior to the local release to 115 countries including North America, South America, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Taiwan and the Philippines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2017/05/24/0701000000AEN20170524007100315.html|title='The Villainess' presold to 115 countries |website=Yonhap News Agency|date=May 24, 2017}}</ref> Later it was sold to additional territories which includes Japan, China, Singapore, India increasing to a total of 136 countries worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2017/05/30/0200000000AEN20170530005600315.html|title=Korean action film presold to 136 countries|website=Yonhap News Agency|date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>
==Reception== ''The Villainess'' received a four-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=421&aid=0002744298|title=[N1★칸] '악녀' 김옥빈 처절 액션, 칸 홀렸다…4분 기립 박수 |website=News1|language=ko|date=May 22, 2017|author=Jeong Yu-jin}}</ref>
The film was also screened at the 16th New York Asian Film Festival which was held from June 30 to July 16, 2017. At the festival, the film received the Daniel E. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/the-villainess-to-close-new-york-asian-film-festival/5118759.article|title='The Villainess' to close New York Asian Film Festival |website=Screen Daily|date=June 5, 2017|author=Jeremy Kay}}</ref>
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 85 reviews with an average rating of 6.84/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''The Villainess'' offers enough pure kinetic thrills to satisfy genre enthusiasts -- and carve out a bloody niche for itself in modern Korean action cinema."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_villainess|title=The Villainess (Ak-Nyeo) (2017)|publisher=|accessdate=28 May 2020|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}</ref> Review aggregator website Metacritic gave the film a rating of 64 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-villainess|title=The Villainess Reviews - Metacritic|website= Metacritic|language=en|date=August 25, 2017|accessdate=June 25, 2018}}</ref>
==Awards and nominations== {|class="wikitable sortable" !Award !Category !Recipient !Result !Ref. |- |16th New York Asian Film Festival | Daniel E. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema |rowspan=2|''The Villainess'' | {{won}} |<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&seq=4375&mode=VIEW | title=Excellence in Action Cinema Award for JUNG Byung-gil in New York}}</ref> |- |21st Fantasia International Film Festival | GURU Prize for Best Action Feature Film | {{won|Silver}} |<ref>{{cite web|url=http://screenanarchy.com/2017/08/fantasia-2017-awards-agnieszka-hollands-spoor-takes-top-prize.html|title=Fantasia 2017 Awards: Agnieszka Holland's SPOOR Takes Top Prize|date=3 August 2017|website=screenanarchy.com|accessdate=October 25, 2017}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2|26th Buil Film Awards ||Best Actress|| Kim Ok-vin || {{nom}} ||rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?pageIndex=3&blbdComCd=601006&seq=4501&mode=VIEW&returnUrl=&searchKeyword=|title=A TAXI DRIVER Tops Buil Film Awards|date=October 17, 2017|work=Korean Film Biz Zone}}</ref> |- | Best Cinematography|| Park Jung-hoon|| {{won}} |- | rowspan=2|1st The Seoul Awards ||Best Actress|| Kim Ok-vin || {{nom}} || rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=011&aid=0003121985|title='제1회 더 서울어워즈' 노미네이트 공개, 이보영 지성 김희선 조승우 등 화려한 라인업 공개|website=The Seoul Economy Daily|accessdate=October 25, 2017}}</ref> |- |Best Supporting Actress || Kim Seo-hyung || {{nom}} |- | rowspan=5|54th Grand Bell Awards||Best Actress|| Kim Ok-vin || {{nom}}||rowspan=5|<ref>{{cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3039964&cloc=joongangdaily|title=Stars shine at Daejong awards: A successful year for film industry celebrated at annual ceremony|date=October 26, 2017|work=Korea JoongAng Daily}}</ref> |- | Best Lighting || Lee Hae-won|| {{nom}} |- |Best Cinematography || Park Jung-hoon || {{won}} |- |Best Editing || Heo Sun-mi || {{nom}} |- |Technical Award ||''The Villainess'' || {{won}} |- |rowspan=3| 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards || Best Cinematography and Lighting || Park Jung-hoon & Lee Hae-won || {{nom}} ||rowspan=3 |<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.chosun.com/news/ntype.htm?id=201711070100043130002860&servicedate=20171106|script-title=ko:[공식입장] '제38회 청룡영화상' 후보 공개, '불한당'vs'택시' 대격돌|date=2017-11-06|publisher=Sports Chosun|language=ko}}</ref> |- | Best Technical Achievement - Stunts || Kwon Ki-deok || {{won}} |- |Best Actress || Kim Ok-vin || {{nom}} |- |rowspan=2|18th Busan Film Critics Awards || rowspan=2|Technical Award || Park Jung-hoon || {{won}} ||rowspan=2 |<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ko:부산영화평론가협회상|url=http://movie.naver.com/movie/bi/fi/prize.nhn?code=80&rnd=18|website=Naver}}</ref> |- |Kwon Kwi-deok || {{won}} |- |54th Baeksang Arts Awards || rowspan=2|Best Actress || rowspan=2|Kim Ok-vin ||{{nom}}||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.jtbc.joins.com/html/136/NB11615136.html|script-title=ko:제54회 백상예술대상, TV·영화 각 부문별 수상 후보자 공개|date=April 6, 2018|website=JTBC|language=ko}}</ref> |- |23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web|url=http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=112&aid=0003031823|title=[23rd 춘사영화제 종합]'남한산성' 최우수감독상 수상…최희서 11관왕 달성|date=May 18, 2018|work=Herald Corporation|via=Naver|language=ko}}</ref> |}
==TV series== In July 2021, it was announced a TV series based on the film is in development with Amazon with writer Francisca Hu writing and executive producing the pilot.<ref name="VillainessTV">{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/the-villainess-tv-adaptation-amazon-francisca-hu-skybound-1234788952/|title= 'The Villainess' TV Adaptation In The Works At Amazon From Francisca Hu, Skybound Entertainment & Contents Panda |publisher=Deadline|access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{hancinema film|The_Villainess}} * {{IMDb title|tt6777338}}
{{Jung Byung-gil}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villainess, The}} Category:2017 films Category:South Korean action thriller films Category:2017 action thriller films Category:Next Entertainment World films Category:Girls with guns films Category:South Korean films about revenge Category:Films shot from the first-person perspective Category:Films directed by Jeong Byeong-gil Category:2017 South Korean films