Revenge movies, at times, can be very predictable. As the story unfolds before the audience, they can see hints here and there that reveal who the protagonist is going to face off with. These kinds of reveals keep the audience watching to see if they can figure it out, but sometimes the reveal is a shock. In The Old Woman with the Knife, we get a different take on a revenge story.
The movie begins in 1975, as we are introduced to “Nails” (Lee Hye-young), who lies on the side of a snowy street, near death. She is picked up by Ryu (Kim Mu-yeol), who gives her a place to stay while she recovers. As Nails gets better, she works and lives in Ryu’s restaurant. Ryu travels a lot for his job and is gone for days on end, and he explains to her that he is an exterminator.
One night, a disgruntled customer returns and attacks Nails. She does everything she can to survive, and Ryu walks in as the attack is over. Seeing what she has done, he tells her the truth about his exterminating job and begins to train her. Through a series of images, we see how much of an asset Nails is to the company, and her name is changed to Hornclaw. She becomes one of the best exterminators for the company, but the countless missions are starting to take their toll on her body. One night, Hornclaw finds a stray near her home and brings it to the doctor. Here, she befriends Dr. Kang (Yeon Woo-jin), who helps save the dog.
As peaceful as this all sounds, a young man is stirring the pot around the exterminators with the way he conducts business. Bullfight (Kim Sung-cheol) is ruthless and deems himself unstoppable. Bullfight shows no fear on his missions. He also shows the company why they should hire him. Between Bullfight and Hornclaw, we see the differences in styles and being committed to the exterminator way of life. As the two become closer, we start to find out more about Bullfight and the reason he is the way he is.
The Old Woman with the Knife has some incredible action sequences that will make you scratch your head wondering how they did some of the stunts. Having a female protagonist gives the movie a different insight that we have not had in any action movie before. The theme of the new school taking over the old school is very prevalent in the difference in styles between Bullfight and Hornclaw. While the company would like to stick to the old style, they know they have to adapt to survive. Some of the cinematic techniques in this movie are incredible and give the movie an ethereal feel in some moments.
Final Thoughts: The Old Woman with the Knife is a captivating thriller filled with intrigue, revenge, and some great fighting sequences! Lee Hye-young is incredible in this! The cinematography in some scenes is just beautiful. This is a terrific action movie with a few twists that might catch the audience off guard. The Old Woman with the Knife is destined to become a martial arts classic.
Kid-Friendly: The theme of revenge may not be suitable for younger kids. This movie is recommended for kids 16 and up.
Violence: With a title like The Old Woman with the Knife, there is violence in this movie. There is an attempted sexual assault near the beginning of the film that is integral to the story, but might be triggering for some. There is also a lot of violence in the way the exterminators take out their targets.
Aging assassin Hornclaw has seen it all, but she never expected to mentor a reckless rookie like Bullfight. As their unlikely bond deepens, cracks form in the underworld they navigate together. When Hornclaw discovers someone wants her dead, she’s thrust into a deadly game of deception. With enemies closing in and trust in short supply, survival means staying sharp—both blade and mind.