Grace and Grit: The Old Woman with the Knife Cuts Deep

The Old Woman with the Knife is the rare film that completely came out of nowhere for me. I had never even heard of this movie until I looked at my local theater’s weekend slate, but when I learned it was a Korean action thriller, I was instantly intrigued. Foreign films that get even limited theatrical releases here in the states tend to be pretty good, so as a big action fan, I figured I’d give this one a shot. I bought a ticket for the earliest screening I could make, and I walked into the theater excited to see what this movie had in store.

The Old Woman with the Knife was written and directed by Min Kyu-dong, and it stars Hyeyeong Lee, Kim Sung-cheol, Yeon Woo-jin, Kim Moo-yul, and Shin Sia. The film follows Hornclaw, an aging assassin who’s basically a female John Wick. This woman is a legend in her field, but her age is finally starting to catch up to her. She's recently been experiencing some concerning health issues, so she doesn't have quite the same facility of movement she enjoyed in her younger years.

One day, a promising up-and-comer named Bullfight joins Hornclaw’s organization and quickly positions himself as her heir apparent, but he has his sights set on a different prize. Unbeknownst to Hornclaw, she actually has a deep connection to this young buck, and as the truth about their relationship comes to light, the stakes of their high-risk business rise higher and higher.

From that brief plot synopsis, you’re probably expecting The Old Woman with the Knife to feature a boatload of bloody action, and on that count, the movie totally delivers. We get everything from guns to blades to hand-to-hand combat, and it’s all executed with pinpoint precision.

Granted, the idea of a sixty-something woman being able to go toe to toe with a man in the prime of his life stretches credulity a bit, but these actors and stunt performers are such excellent martial artists you won’t have a problem suspending your disbelief. They make you feel the weight of every stab, strike, and throw in the film, so you’ll be so caught up in the violent beauty of it all you won’t care how old Hornclaw is.

On top of that great action, The Old Woman with the Knife also features a number of excellent performances. Everybody in this cast is 100% believable, but hands down the best of the bunch is Lee Hye-young. She’s the actress who plays Hornclaw, and she absolutely nails every emotion her character experiences.

When Hornclaw is working, Lee exudes the calm confidence of a master practicing her craft, but when her declining health rears its ugly head, you can tell that the woman is in genuine distress. There are also a handful of times when Lee has to display a nurturing, almost motherly compassion, and to the surprise of no one, she knocks those scenes out of the park as well.

Simply put, The Old Woman with the Knife is about as well-made as any American action flick, but that’s only half the story. If you dig beneath all the bloody action and the ugliness of these assassins’ lives, you’ll find a surprising moral core that’s nothing short of captivating. To be fair, I wouldn’t quite say the film has a particular message the way something like Oldboy does, but it manages to use its violent stylings to affirm the dignity of human life in a number of ways.

For instance, Hornclaw’s organization is only supposed to carry out hits on the worst of the worst, and part of the old woman’s journey involves realizing that her boss has recently been losing sight of that important guiding principle. Along similar lines, when the credits begin to roll, Hornclaw herself isn’t the cold-hearted killer she once was, and her relationship with Bullfight ends up being unexpectedly moving.

I can’t get much more specific than that without spoiling some of the movie’s surprises, but suffice it to say that The Old Woman with the Knife is a nearly perfect blend of brutal violence and moral substance. It’s just as wildly entertaining as it is touching and uplifting, so if you’re a fan of bloody action thrillers, I highly recommend that you put this film on your radar.

NB: Most of you probably won’t be able to catch The Old Woman with the Knife right away, as it’s only been given a very limited theatrical release here in the states. But the movie should be hitting VOD in just a few short months, so if you want to check it out, you’ll get the chance to see it pretty soon.