Well Go USA continues to churn out the best in Asian cinema across all genres. The latest The Old Woman With The Knife based on Gu Byeong-mo’s novel of the same name stars Lee Hye-young, Kim Sung-cheol, Yeon Woo-jin and Kim Moo-yul from director Min Kyu-dong. Could this film bring the action and vengeance the trailer promises, or will it get lost in its own revenge?

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The Old Woman With the Knife follows Hornclaw, a veteran assassin whose fading strength is tested when a younger killer with ties to a buried mission resurfaces, forcing her into a reckoning shaped by survival, memory, and long-suppressed consequences—all set within a grounded, stylized world that reframes the action thriller through a distinctly female perspective.

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I feel like the trailer to this film is a bit misleading, but not necessarily in a bad way. The story is a lot more of a slow burn than I expected as the film weaves its way through Hornclaw’s rise into the world of the assassin before getting to where she is now. Her struggle is deep and painful with the events that led her to this life making her the hardened killer she is now. This opens more layers to the character as she deals with her newfound emotions and struggles with her age that is causing more issues with her chosen profession.

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As all the players come together the varying games of cat and mouse begin, not only bring the violence, but plenty of twists and turns. Nothing is overly surprising, but it does bring it all back on track when it gets lost at times. The story is all over the place at times and slower paced than I thought but keeps things interesting enough to stick with it waiting for the action and final act to clean up all the messes.

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While there isn’t as much action as I thought, there is plenty still here. All the fights are well executed and hyper violent in the best way possible. They are all