Ageing assassin Hornclaw (Lee Hye-Young) feels life catching up to her, as her body starts to age and potentially let her down, and the need for human interaction (something she has denied herself for many years to become the perfect killer) proves too much to ignore when she comes to protect a local vet and his daughter. Said vet helps Hornclaw one night after a hit goes sideways and she’s left severely injured, the clandestine agency she works for thus wanting her to now eliminate her rescuer to tie up loose ends. Coupled with a new killer recruit, Bullfight (Kim Sung-cheol), making waves in the agency and constantly hounding Hornclaw, the once renowned assassin must decide whether to adhere to the old ways or embrace the new lease of life the turn of events has given her.

Based on the excellent book of the same name by Gu Byeong-mo, the film of ‘The Old Woman with the Knife’ is a worthy adaptation fuelled by a dark tone, punishing action, and a fantastic lead performance from Lee Hye-Young. Embracing the older age of the main character is a refreshing take on the familiar story of an assassin rethinking their options and having to go toe-to-toe with a new, younger hotshot. Lee Hye-Young is absolutely fantastic in the lead role, equally convincing as a deadly killer (who can still hold her own) and as a woman looking back at where her life has led her: now realising time and the ageing of the body have caught up to her. However, she soon grasps she has a lot still to give, partly due to the blossoming friendship with the vet and his daughter. When Bullfight proves himself to be an unstable danger, Hornclaw puts all she has learnt into protecting this potentially hopeful new life she sees in front of her.

Lee Hye-Young carries the weight of a tough life on her character’s shoulders, at the same time ploughing through a surfeit of bad guys out to kill her. The film occasionally has an uneasy balance between real-life drama and fierce action, though the makers commendably choreograph the action to be more rough and tumble in line with the character’s age, keeping it as grounded as possible. The film does sway somewhat between gritty drama and comic-book-style action but manages to find the right balance between the two, again Lee Hye-Young’s performance often being the glue that holds everything together. In fact, the film has a lot going on as the timeline often flip-flops back and forth between an older and younger Hornclaw (showing how she became an assassin), the flashback scenes and fights often feeling a little rushed compared to the ones set in present day.

This unfortunately does feel like the film is trying to pack a lot, if not too much, in and the reveal after the final big action scene is somewhat laboured and bludgeons us with a twist that was fairly evident early on. However, minor foibles aside, ‘The Old Woman with the Knife’ is still a riveting and rewarding action thriller propelled by a fantastic performance from the leading lady, that shows you should (to coin a phrase) never underestimate an old dog or, more precisely, never undervalue a blade blunted by time, as it can still get the job done.