The Old Woman with the Knifeis a captivating,spectacularly convoluted thrillerthat twists and turns through a myriad of subplots. Adapted from the hit 2022 South Korean novel by Gu Byeong-mo, the film addresses aging, loneliness and purpose through action-packed carnage as a legendary assassin in the twilight of her bloody career is confronted by a vicious young upstart with a surprising agenda. In the end, its slick cinematography and editing can’t overcome an excessive flashback structure that builds to an overblown finale. But the mysterious protagonist and her equally enigmatic adversary are magnetic.
The story begins on a snowy village road in 1975, as a young woman (Shin Sia) walking without shoes collapses. She almost freezes to death, but fate intervenes as a car drives by. Ryu (Kim Mu-yeol) and his pregnant wife take her to their restaurant, allowing her to trade lodging for work as a dishwasher. The still unnamed woman wonders why Ryu is always away; “pest control,” he says.
The Old Woman with the Knife
Fate Intervenes
Ryu’s real work is revealed after his dishwasher is forced to defend herself from an ugly assault. He belongs to an agency that rids the city of troublesome “vermin,” as murderers, abusers and greedy executives are eliminated in staged accidents. Each member records their activities, and files a report after a mission is completed. They’re assigned names based on murderous tactics: The dishwasher is now called “Nails.”
Fast-forward to now, where Nails has renamed herself Hornclaw (Lee Hye-young) — although most people respectfully refer to her as “Godmother.” The agency is thriving, thanks to her decades of meticulous killing and stringent adherence to protocol. But time has caught up to Hornclaw. Her physical deterioration enrages the pest control agency’s latest leader, who recruits conniving sociopath Bullfight (Kim Sung-cheol), a brash newcomer with a sizable body count whose reasons for supplanting Hornclaw are more personal than she realizes.
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The premise is established within 15 minutes of the opener, leaving many questions unanswered: How did Nails become Hornclaw? What happened to Ryu? And why is Bullfight so obsessed with the Godmother?Writer/director Min Kyu-dong (Memento Mori,In My End Is My Beginning)answers these questions in flashbacks interspersed throughout the film, as Hornclaw remembers the past when she’s triggered by current events. Min bounces back and forth through different parts of Hornclaw’s life, framing the bigger picture.
This structure takes a while to get acclimated, but it does achieve Min’s goal of maximum audience attention. You really can’t miss any exposition, or risk finding the remaining narrative confusing. This isn’t a film for casual viewing and multiple bathroom breaks. The good news is that the acting, action and character development are engrossing; you’re genuinely interested in Hornclaw’s backstory — at least, until a third-act climax that bites off more than it can chew.
The Old Woman with the Knifealso hasa significant subplot regarding Dr. Kang (Yeon Woo-jin), a kind veterinarian, and his young daughter, who humanize Hornclaw in a way that threatens the agency’s secrecy. She’s not an unrepentant monster slaughtering for personal satisfaction. She believes that pest control is a necessary evil, and that bad people must die to protect the good, but caring for Kang puts a chink in her armor.
Lee Hye-young is one of South Korea’s biggest stars, and she’s damn good here. Hornclaw’s lethal expertise runs the gamut of physical combat and weaponry, but she prefers a subtler approach for cleaner kills and factors in her age and ailments when she’s preparing to fill the morgue. She trains constantly for peak readiness, but executing vengeance has left a hole in her life. Hornclaw’s loneliness opens the door for Kang’s kindness, presenting a different path than the one she’s walked for decades.
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Meanwhile, Kim Sung-cheol nearly steals the show as the villainous Bullfight, grinning and sneering while dispensing his victims. He enjoys inflicting punishment on the body and the mind, and has dark secrets that are burning to be released. Bullfight wants Hornclaw to suffer slowly at his hands, meaning that her enemies are also his.
Unfortunately,The Old Woman with the Knifesuccumbs to its flaws in a labored climax where Min’s sharp editing vanishes when most needed. You finally get the breadth of the story, but it just takes way too long to get there. A shorter cut with a tighter third act would have ended the film on a far better footing.
The Old Woman with the Knifehas Korean dialogue with English subtitles. A SooFilm production, it will be released theatrically on May 16th from Well Go USA Entertainment.
