--- title: "The Villainess: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-villainess/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-villainess" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Villainess (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 18 reviews: 11 positive, 7 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics come away pleased, and nobody comes away hostile. The praise lands almost entirely on the action: the opening sequence, a night-time motorbike chase and a finale aboard a speeding bus are named again and again as inventively staged and precisely choreographed. Kim Ok-vin’s lead performance is singled out by several reviews for its physical conviction and raw feeling, and a few also warm to the tenderness of the heroine’s scenes with her daughter. The reservations are about everything in between. Nearly every review, including the warm ones, calls the plot overstuffed, convoluted or too familiar, and several say the character-driven stretches stall the pace. The spread is moderate rather than wide, running from enthusiastic to lukewarm. The Los Angeles Times is the sharpest dissenter, finding the storytelling wearying rather than merely muddled, and Variety goes further than most in objecting to how the heroine is treated. ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 September 2017. O'Hara gives the film a strongly positive verdict, despite finding its plotting overly complicated. She especially praises the dazzling, inventive action and the tenderness added by Sook-hee's relationship with her daughter. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/villainess-review/) ## Little White Lies — Claire Langlais Rating 4/4/3. 12 September 2017. Langlais finds the film enjoyable overall, though its shaky storytelling keeps it from working as a whole. She praises the precisely choreographed action, singling out fights, a night motorbike chase, and an axe clash on a speeding bus. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-villainess) ## Radio Times — Jamie Healy Rating 4/5. He presents the film as an audacious, thrill-packed action extravaganza. He singles out its delirious opening sequence and praises how the director gradually reveals the heroine’s backstory. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-yzq6kb/the-villainess/) ## The Guardian — Simran Hans Rating 4/5. 17 September 2017. Hans calls the film overstuffed and overcooked but riotously entertaining. She especially praises its climactic set piece, which combines apocalyptic rain, a bus, a machete and a self-driving car. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/17/the-villainess-review-overstuffed-overdone-and-riotous-good-fun) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 4/5. 10 September 2017. The critic calls it a familiar but fun female-assassin thriller. They single out its energetic ride, while noting its debt to earlier films in the genre. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-villainess) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 73/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2017. Festival review. Hunter describes it as a visceral action thriller. The standfirst singles out Kim Ok-vin's energetic performance. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-villainess-cannes-review/5118349.article) ## The AV Club — Katie Rife Rating B-. 24 August 2017. Rife finds the film delivers overstuffed thrills but strains under familiar storytelling and a lack of innovation. She praises its boldly staged, visually striking action, especially the electrifying showdown aboard a speeding bus. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-villainess-paints-its-genre-thrills-with-a-broad-an-1798325342) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Deborah Young Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2017. Festival review. Young calls it a high-voltage thriller whose character-focused stretches interrupt the action, but expects it to find a warm reception among international genre audiences. She praises the imaginative set pieces, especially the motorcycle chase and bus-set finale. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/villainess-review-1006369/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2017. The page could not be accessed, so its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified. The URL identifies it as a New York Times review of The Villainess. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/movies/the-villainess-review.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Simon Abrams Rating 2.5/4. 25 August 2017. Abrams finds the film an uneven but energetic action thriller. He praises its inventive, visceral action while faulting its familiar story. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-villainess-2017) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Watson Rating 2.5/4. 20 August 2017. Watson finds the film’s action thrilling but its story convoluted and ultimately hollow. He praises its inventively staged, expertly choreographed action sequences, while faulting the plot for making Sook-hee’s revenge difficult to understand or connect with. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-villainess/) ## Variety — Maggie Lee Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2017. Festival review. Lee finds the film a delirious, distinctive action spectacle, but says its muddled plotting and derivative melodrama undermine it. She singles out the kinetic choreography and opening sequence for praise, while criticizing the story’s excess and misogynistic treatment of its heroine. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-villainess-review-ak-nyeo-1202486083/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2017. Chang finds the film’s action deliriously inventive but its character-driven storytelling wearying and ineffective. He especially praises Kim Ok-vin’s physical conviction and the film’s imaginative action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-villainess-review-20170824-story.html) ## /Film — Scott Beggs Rating 8 out of 10. 25 August 2017. Festival review. The critic calls the film a thrilling, innovative advance for action cinema. They especially praise its inventive, kinetically staged fight scenes and the surprising romantic-comedy turn. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/552097/the-villainess-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2017. Festival review. Kermode calls it a thrilling must-see for action fans, despite an overlong and overly sentimental ending. She particularly praises Kim’s emotionally raw performance and the film’s breathtaking, seamlessly assembled action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-villainess-2017-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 7.1/10. 24 August 2017. Crump finds the film memorable and often thrilling, but weighed down by an overcomplicated plot and stalled pacing. He praises its inventive, wildly committed action and visual style. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-villainess/the-villainess) ## HeyUGuys — Gloria Daniels-Moss Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film impressive for its action but less successful as a story. It singles out the choreographed fights and striking camera work for praise, while criticizing the confusing narrative and weak emotional connection. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-villainess-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The headline suggests a mixed verdict: the action is terrific, but the storytelling is muddled. The critic singles out the action for praise and the storytelling for complaint. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/villainess-brings-terrific-action-muddled-storytelling-cannes-review-20170522/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-villainess.md