The Old Woman with the Knife 파과 Review: Lee Hye-Young’s Committed Performance Rules the Otherwise Familiar Assassin-Themed Action Thriller

The Old Woman with the Knife continues to diversify journeyman director Min Kyu-Dong’s filmography; this time, he explores the action genre. One that has become popular these days is for unlikely actors or actresses to take on the challenges of playing physically demanding roles for a change. And here we have 62-year-old screen veteran Lee Hye-Young playing the titular role.

Adapted from Gu Byeong-Mo’s novel of the same name, the movie takes us back to 1975 when it all begins. It was snowing, and a young woman (Shin Si-Ah) is seen walking alone at night until a couple, who own a restaurant, is kind enough to take her in and provide her food and shelter. The owner, Ryu (Kim Moo-Yul), soon calls her Fingernail after an incident that leads him to mentor her as an assassin.

Fast-forward to the present day, the now-sixtysomething woman who has since been known as Hornclaw (Lee Hye-Young) is still working for the same Shingseong Agency that Ryu founded decades ago. The agency in question is responsible for handling clandestine missions in taking care the “pests”. Despite her age, she remains at the top of her game. At one point, she has no problem taking down her target swiftly and discreetly while in the crowded subway train.

Hornclaw is the type of laconic assassin who only cares about her job, and Lee Hye-Young carries the role admirably. Her no-nonsense persona, along with her commitment to portraying an action-oriented character from taking down the targets with her nifty knife skills to engaging in hand-to-hand combats and even John Wick-style shooting precision, looks convincing. The overall stunts and action set pieces are reasonably thrilling and propulsive, while Kyu-Dong doesn’t back down on the graphic violence, particularly when it comes to stabbing wounds.

Going back to the story, Hornclaw soon finds herself competing with a younger assassin in her agency. A crazy and cocky one nicknamed Bullfight (Kim Sung-Cheol). He seems to have a personal grudge against her, whose shady motivations are revealed later in the movie. The plot thickens when Hornclaw befriends Dr Kang (Yeon Woo-Jin), a veterinarian living with his precious little daughter. It’s no surprise that Hornclaw forming a relationship soon becomes a liability in the line of her work.

Kyu-Dong, who also co-adapted the screenplay with Kim Dong-Wan, has a penchant for over-complicated matters by injecting numerous flashbacks as the movie progresses. It’s not that I’m against the use of flashbacks, but too many of them can disrupt the momentum of its storytelling. We see flashbacks of the young Hornclaw and her mentor and others that are meant to connect her past with her present. And I’m not sure why Kyu-Dong figures it’s a good idea to incorporate not one but a few flashbacks during the supposedly climactic, action-packed third act. It simply ruins the flow, making the movie frustrating to watch at times.

Still, The Old Woman with the Knife is far from a missed opportunity. It’s neither good nor great but decent enough for such a genre, which again, thanks to Lee Hye-Young’s engaging lead performance. Shin Si-Ah, who plays the younger Hornclaw, deserves equal mention in the earlier scene and her appearances in the otherwise flashback-heavy moments. Other actors, such as Kim Sung-Cheol, equally deliver solid support as the rival assassin Bullfight.

As for Min Kyu-Dong, his rare foray into the action genre after exploring different genres from horror (1999’s Memento Mori) to rom-com (2012’s All About My Wife) and epic period drama (2015’s The Treacherous) is competently directed, even with some of the shortcomings. The movie also benefits from a neo-noir-like aesthetic, thanks to Lee Jae-Woo’s atmospheric cinematography capturing the dark and volatile world of assassins and bad people.