It’s the year of the woman, and how about these empowered female action stars?
Meet “The Villainess!”
One of the best action films of all time just happens to star a woman!
“The Villainess” is the 2017 South Korean action film directed by Jung Byung-gil, starring Kim Ok-bin.
Trained to be a deadly Assassin, Sook-hee performs her duties for ten years, then starts a new life…but you know what they say, it’s tough to put old habits behind you!
Here is the trailer:
What’s truly amazing is a motorcycle chase and samurai sword battle – happening at the same time!
While in the US, female action stars aren’t the norm, Asia has a rich tradition of women going toe to toe with men – and winning!
Yes, “The Machine Girl” is one of those wild and crazy Asian cult films that I have posted about before – and don’t forget “Helldriver” as well!
The films are wild, bloody and full of nonstop action – all led by empowered women who aren’t afraid to fight back!
I have a great love of cult film – and many of them have the “woman in peril” aspect that can be a huge turnoff when they are portrayed as weak victims…that will always be a part of these films, but when the female character is written to exude power and resolve, that’s when the films work…”Atomic Blonde”, while a bit of a mess, did that, as did “Mad Max Fury Road”
Yes, she really commits – these films both play like female version of the “John Wick” films – “R”-rated films that showcase incredible action sequences…
Here in the US, I can find so much on Netflix or Amazon Prime for free or to rent, I have reduced by DVD/Blu-ray buys a lot…now I tend to buy physical copies of special editions – with a lot of extras etc. This weekend, we watched 1971’s “Klute” and 1974’s “Day Of The Condor” off of Amazon – one was $2.99, the other free because I’m a prime member!
Do you mean ‘Three Days Of The Condor’, John? That was a great Redford thriller, and I saw it on release at the cinema. ‘Klute’ is just great. An underrated modern cinema classic.
I haven’t seen any of these, but I love that you appreciate an empowered woman! Great post!
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I have a great love of cult film – and many of them have the “woman in peril” aspect that can be a huge turnoff when they are portrayed as weak victims…that will always be a part of these films, but when the female character is written to exude power and resolve, that’s when the films work…”Atomic Blonde”, while a bit of a mess, did that, as did “Mad Max Fury Road”
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I’ve been wanting to see Atomic Blonde. Charlize always does a great job of playing the powerful woman!
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Yes, she really commits – these films both play like female version of the “John Wick” films – “R”-rated films that showcase incredible action sequences…
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This looks like my kind of movie.
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Nice selection, John. I have yet to see ‘The Villainess’, but like the look of it a lot!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, it was released on demand here, so I got to watch it at home…terrific action sequences for sure!
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Sounds like a DVD purchase coming up for me this year, John!
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Here in the US, I can find so much on Netflix or Amazon Prime for free or to rent, I have reduced by DVD/Blu-ray buys a lot…now I tend to buy physical copies of special editions – with a lot of extras etc. This weekend, we watched 1971’s “Klute” and 1974’s “Day Of The Condor” off of Amazon – one was $2.99, the other free because I’m a prime member!
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Do you mean ‘Three Days Of The Condor’, John? That was a great Redford thriller, and I saw it on release at the cinema. ‘Klute’ is just great. An underrated modern cinema classic.
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Ha, I guess I was typing shorthand! Yes!
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