The Villainess
Well Go USA Entertainment | Release Date: August 25, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeAug 24, 2017
It’s hard to enjoy the action when you witness its emotional cost, but once Sook-hee starts slashing goons from atop motorcycles, it’s equally impossible to root for the violence to stop. Read full review
60
Village VoiceBilge EbiriAug 23, 2017
The Villainess is entertaining enough, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that we should be caring more for this character as the film goes on, not less. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid Ehrlich
If The Villainess sounds like derivative junk, that’s because it is — but rarely is derivative junk executed with such panache and personality. Read full review
50
Washington PostAlan ZilbermanSep 14, 2017
Without a clear narrative, the story recedes in the face of the movie’s stylized violence — which is, admittedly, glorious, even brazen. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisSep 6, 2017
Director Byung-gil Jung, a trained stuntman, is an expert in staging action set-pieces, and for fans of dazzlingly violent shootouts on motorcycles and buses, this brutal revenge tale should be right up your alley, even if the proceedings often get sidetracked with a confusing back story. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsAug 25, 2017
There's a lot of chutzpah on display throughout the film, even during essentially soggy, dialogue-intensive sequences, which are broken up by disorienting flashbacks. But Jung's biggest failing is his inability to make Sook-hee a heroine worth caring about. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangAug 24, 2017
While I’m generally inclined to applaud an action movie that seeks to be more than just an exercise in carnage, The Villainess turns wearyingly stop-and-go whenever it tries to fill in the void of its protagonist’s emotional and psychological history. Read full review
50
The PlaylistBradley Warren
The Villainess confounds its audience on two levels: firstly, how the filmmakers pulled off the elaborate set pieces and secondly, leaving them to wonder what the hell is going on in the plot. Read full review
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