The Villainess: It's Not The Cards You're Dealt
From it’s opening tone-setting, almost First Person Shooter perspective bloody action sequence that overstays it’s welcome, to it’s similarly ambitious yet a little too shaky action packed resolution, my prevailing sentiment after experiencing The Villainess is that it’s strength lies in it’s ability to tell it’s story. While it’s narrative is not especially original, it’s in its non-linear ambitions and how it delivers its cryptic uncertainty that it elevates itself above a mutually intelligible action thriller with lesser ambitions. While it’s admirable cinematographic aspirations, particularly during the well-choreographed action scenes, sometimes hits and more often misses, it’s top notch editing, stellar acting, and hard hitting musical score allows it to rise above the more derivative and mid-tier works of Korean action cinema. Directed and written by Jung Byung-gil, is best experienced with as little information as possible going into it, so in the interest of respecting the fil...
