Notable Cast: Lee Hye-young, Kim Sung-cheol, Yeon
Woo-jin, Kim Moo-yul, Shin Sia, Kim Kang-woo, Choi Moo-seong, Ok Ja-yeon, Lee Hyun-gul
In a world where there is one to two “old man with a sordid
past kicks ass” movies released a month, it’s nice to know that there will
occasionally be an “old woman with a sordid past kicks ass” movie that gets
released. However, in the case of The Old Woman with the Knife, the latest
South Korean action thriller to hit the States from our friends at Well Go USA,
it’s less about an aging killer being pulled back in and more about an aging
killer reckoning with their role in their own life. With a strong sense of
visual pizzazz, some impressively brutal action set pieces, and a positively
riveting performance from Lee Hye-young, The Old Woman with the Knife is
a sizzling slice of assassin cinema, even if the plot can get in the way of the
story at times.
The Old Woman with the Knife establishes its plot and
characters in provocative ways. A cinematic world of assassins is always fun to
explore, and especially over the last decade or so, thanks to John Wick,
movies have been having fun creating fantastic scenarios around killers and
their deeds. In this universe, there is a group of assassins that act as “pest
control” and eliminate the ill-gotten pests that infect our society. It’s a
relatively small group, well-trained and well-equipped to get the job done,
that follows their stringent guidelines about their work.
Lee Hye-young plays Hornclaw (bonus points for the character
name just being b.a.d.a.s.s.), and she’s been in the club for some time. The
film takes place in a world where she is an elder, still active as a killer and
a cornerstone for the rest of the killers, but regularly flashes back to reveal
her past as it becomes relevant to the present. The bouncing back and forth
provides plenty of context for the film, particularly in the plentiful reveals
and twists of its third act. Still, it does detract from creating an immersive
cinematic experience with how often it happens. It’s the kind of blessing and
curse of having a non-chronological time-line, even if it adds context to some
of the reveals in the third act to make them pop.
Within this world, The Old Woman with the Knife is
littered with fantastical secondary characters, too, and Kim Sung-cheol’s Bullfight
stands out as the main antagonist of the story as a young and ruthless up-and-comer
in the ranks who seemingly has her in his sights. The parallels between the
lead character and him add layers to the proceedings, especially as her secrets
and flaws are revealed. The two stars have an intriguing presence onscreen that
significantly enhances the film, even if the eventual plot reveals feel more
trope-heavy than expected.
The Old Woman with the Knife also benefits from incredible action and brilliant execution from a visual standpoint. Director Min Kyu-dong, notable in my life as the director of the horror film Memento Mori, embeds the movie with a ton of visual flair. It allows the action set pieces, which punch through with some intense brutality in the pops of gore and physical stunts on display, to really stand out even when they are meant to be grounded in a realism within the world. Like many South Korean action flicks, there’s a slickness to the proceedings that feels overly cinematic and occasionally clashes with the grittiness of its tone. However, in the case of this film, it’s never a detraction from the viewing experience, and the action stands out as one of the highlights.
All in all, The Old Woman with the Knife succeeds in
developing a fantastical world of assassins, mostly grounded in realism through
its visceral action and layered characters, and is highlighted by two key lead
performances and action that crunches nicely. The overall narrative,
particularly with its themes surrounding the bonds of family and the
complexities of moral choices in its black-and-white world of rules, can become
muddled as it attempts to navigate the genre's tropes and the narrative's
shifting timeline structure. The plot isn’t nearly as compelling as the world
or characters, and considering how heavily the film leans into its plot, it feels at odds with them at times. Still, The Old Woman with the
Knife receives a recommendation as one of the better action films of the
year, primarily due to its strong technical aspects.
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