The Villainess

The Villainess centres on Sook-hee, a woman raised from childhood as a killer and trained by a criminal organization. South Korean intelligence recruits her as a sleeper agent and gives her a new identity: Chae Yeon-soo, a theatre actress. In exchange for ten years of service, she is promised her freedom. She settles into an ordinary life, but her past resurfaces and disrupts what she has built, pushing her toward revenge.

Jung Byung-gil directed and co-wrote the film with Jung Byeong-sik; both also produced it with Moon Young-hwa. It was Jung's second feature, following Confession of Murder in 2012 and preceding Carter in 2022. Kim Ok-vin leads as Sook-hee, with Shin Ha-kyun, Sung Joon, Kim Seo-hyung, Cho Eun-ji and Lee Seung-joo among the main cast, and the production credits 25 cast members. Made for about 5 million USD, it took roughly 9 million USD worldwide.

Audience reactions are moderate: on IMDb it holds 6.6/10 from 18,857 votes, and on TMDB 6.9/10 from 794 votes. A film critics' rating of 6.8/10 from 85 reviews sits close to those audience scores. The film runs 129 minutes and is categorized as action, adventure, crime, drama and thriller.