James Gunn is known for being a singular filmmaker who delivers projects that are always completely beholden to his established style and aesthetic, but the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 filmmaker isn’t above admitting when other films have been influences and inspirations on his own work.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest blockbuster gearing up for release in just a couple of weeks, the hype train continues to gather momentum as a jaded fandom rests a lot of its hopes on the swansong for Star-Lord and the gang dragging the franchise kicking and screaming from its recent critical and commercial slump.
It’s definitely got the potential to do so, especially now that we know one scene is going to be an homage to one of the greatest action movies of the last decade. Going full fanboy on Twitter, Gunn was thrilled beyond belief to meet Jung Byung-gil, the mastermind behind the utterly glorious madcap slab of cinematic madness that is The Villainess.
The South Korean masterpiece follows an elite assassin embarking on a roaring rampage of revenge, which sounds fairly straightforward. It is, to a certain extent, but it’s the way the Byung-gil shoots the set pieces that makes it stand out from the pack, with a jaw-dropping motorcycle chase in particular one of the most stunning sequences you’re ever likely to see in the genre.
Keep your eyes peeled when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases, then, because Gunn isn’t likely to go small when it comes to paying tribute.