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The Old Woman with the Knife

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The Old Woman with the Knife

Released May 16

2h 11m

Action

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Aging assassin Hornclaw has seen it all, but she never expected to mentor a reckless rookie like Bullfight. As their unlikely bond deepens, cracks form in the underworld they navigate together. When Hornclaw discovers someone wants her dead, she's thrust into a deadly game of deception. With enemies closing in and trust in short supply, survival means staying sharp--both blade and mind.

Siddhant Adlakha

Variety

While it features an enticing premise, slotting a 65-year-old woman into the underground assassin genre (a position usually reserved for grizzled men and young vixens), its story has an inordinate amount of detail, which the film metes out in awkward ways

Mar 23, 2025

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Wendy Ide

Screen International

There’s plenty that is familiar in this extravagantly bloody action picture. But Lee is terrifyingly effective in the role, and the fight sequences are impressively visceral.

Mar 17, 2025

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Joshua Polanski

In Review Online

[Full of] choppy flashbacks [that] only distract from the already disappointing action, while also failing in their bid to add earnest emotion.

Jun 6, 2025

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

“The Old Woman with the Knife” is not just a great action film featuring astounding ensemble performances, production values and complex narrative structure, but the underlying themes are deeper than expected.

May 27, 2025

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Kelly Vance

East Bay Express

Filmmaker Min Kyu-dong, whose previous features have veered unsteadily from marital dramas to horror shockeroos, must have been out of his mind to put a senior citizen through such an ordeal. But the audience will remember it.

May 21, 2025

Full Review

Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Mixes spectacular fight sequences with an intricately constructed, if ultimately rather simple, revenge plot...engrossing despite its often funereal pacing and complicated structure.

Rated: B

May 21, 2025

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Paul

Riveting and very suspenseful

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/17/25

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Victor A

The Old Woman with the Knife is a captivating thriller filled with intrigue, revenge, and some great fighting sequences! Lee Hye-young is incredible in this! The cinematography in some scenes is just beautiful. This is a terrific action movie with a few twists that might catch the audience off guard. The Old Woman with the Knife is destined to become a martial arts classic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

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Marc S

Finally an action movie that doesn’t insult one’s intelligence!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/17/25

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Min Kyu-dong

Director

Lee Hye-young

Hornclaw

Shin Sia

Young Hornclaw

Sung-Cheol Kim

Tuu

Yeon Woo-jin

Dr. Kang

Kim Mu-yeol

Ryoo

The Old Woman with the Knife: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Aging assassin Hornclaw has seen it all, but she never expected to mentor a reckless rookie like Bullfight. As their unlikely bond deepens, cracks form in the underworld they navigate together. When Hornclaw discovers someone wants her dead, she's thrust into a deadly game of deception. With enemies closing in and trust in short supply, survival means staying sharp--both blade and mind.

Director: Min Kyu-dong
Producer: Min Jin-soo
Screenwriter: Min Kyu-dong, Kim Dong-wan
Distributor: Well Go USA Entertainment
Production Co: SooFilm
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Korean
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 2h 11m