Studio Canal Blu-ray Synopsis: 9th Century China. A 10-year-old general's daughter Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi, Chinese Zodiac, Legend of the Fist) is abducted by a nun who initiates her in the martial arts; transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. From the critically acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-Hsien (Flight of the Red Balloon) comes an exquisite and captivating tale of love, death and the importance of honour. (105 Mins)

 

Views: Director Hou Hsiao Hsien returns at an 8 year break, with a film that garnered him worldwide praise, as well as becoming Taiwan's official entry to the 2015 Oscar offerings. But was the wait worth it? Well, in some respects – yes! Set in 8th century China, 10 year old Nie Yinniang is handed over to a nun who begins to train her in the ways of the martial arts, in a bid to turn the general's daughter into an amazing assassin. Over the years, Nie (who grows up to be the beautiful Shu Qi), is sent on many missions to assassinate corrupt and evil governors, doing so with exact precision and beauty. Having failed a task in killing one such man as he holds his sleeping son, Nie returns to her mistress with regret. In a cruel twist of fate, the nun sends Nie back to her birthland and home, with orders to kill the very man she was betrothed to as a child – her cousin, who also happens to be the leader of the largest independent military in North China. Now a stranger, Nie struggles to fight her memories and feelings, while confronting her parents on their decisions and choosing to ignore the orders of her mistress for the man she loves...

 

If there's one thing I need to say about The Assassin, it's that this film is often painfully slow! While incredibly beautiful in every aspect, I don't think this is the kind of piece that will appeal to a modern audience at all – especially those looking for the next Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero. But once that initial disappointment is over, Hou's arthouse epic certainly does the job!

 

Although I have known about him for some time, I haven't watched a lot of Hou Hsiao Hsien's films. In all honesty, they just aren't the kind of films that appeal to me, but I wouldn't turn them down if they were set in front of me. The Assassin was definitely sold as more of an action movie when it started getting advertised online and in the UK, and with the gorgeous Shu Qi as the lead, it was a film I had looked forward to seeing. But as early reports came out of its lack-of-action, I must admit, I did delay my purchase of the Blu-ray for some time. That said, Hou has delivered an incredibly stunning film, delivered mainly in 4:3 ratio, yet still managing to capture some incredible images. It does flit to widescreen the odd time, which quickly reminds you of this (now unusual) approach, which has still managed to keep your eyes locked on the screen, no matter size its aspect ratio is. The amazing art-direction by Weng Ding Yang is only promoted more by the beautiful cinematography of Lee Ping Bin (aka Mark Lee). This Taiwanese cinematographer has quite the credits to his name working on some incredible films such as Runaway Blues, Tiger Cage 2, Fong Sai Yuk 2, In The Mood For Love, and Hou's very own Flight Of The Red Balloon, as well as many more. This is, without a doubt, some of his finest work – and while I praise the change in aspect ratio, I do think seeing Lee's work in full widescreen would have offered even more beauty to the overall experience. The action, when it comes about, is still quite nice to watch. Some fight scenes offer the grace and balletic moves of a Ching Siu Tung choreographed battle, while others look like they have been lifted from a King Hu classic such as A Touch Of Zen for example. They are often brief and over too soon, yet at the same time, actually fit the story wonderfully without ever detracting from the hurt and drama of Shu Qi's character. The fight choreography is handled by Liu Ming Zhe, who has worked as the assistant and main choreographer on films such as the epic Red Cliff 1 & 2, The Great Magician, and with Donnie Yen on Bodyguards And Assassins, as well as Painted Skin and a bit-part in Ip Man. And while I mention that the fights here are a bit too brief, Liu still manages to excite and deliver some nice moves that will excite those in need of action.

 

The Assassin features a large cast, most of who will be unrecognizable to a mainstream audience, but this is also down to a lot of new faces. I think director Hou made the right choice though, in putting Shu Qi and Chang Chen as the leads. I've been watching the stunning Taiwanese Shu Qi since the 90's in films like Street Angels, Young And Dangerous 5, Black Sheep Affair, and Gorgeous where her career seemed to keep rising, taking her into Hollywood with The Transporter, and back east for a host of fantastic titles. She rarely seems to disappoint, whether its with action or drama, and also never seems to age. The role she plays here, is akin to something I would have seen Michelle Yeoh pull-off if this film was made 20 or 30 years ago. The fantastic Chang Chen plays her unfortunate cousin, and leader of the Chinese military. Chang first came to the worlds attention when he starred in the epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – only a few years after his role in Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together. Since then, he has impressed in many modern greats such as Chinese Odyssey 2002, The Last Supper, Brotherhood Of Blades, and Wong Kar Wai's 2046 as well as The Grandmaster.

 

I have to say, I really enjoyed The Assassin more-so the second time around. While it's definitely not a happy movie, it still impresses on many levels and is one of the most beautiful films of recent years. It reminded me of Feng Xiao Gang's 2006 epic, The Banquet – albeit a with a more subdued approach and a lot less action, but it's most certainly worth the watch...

 

Overall: While misleading to Asian action fans with its title and artwork, The Assassin still proves to be a stunning watch, with an incredible performance from Shu Qi and all involved!

 

Studio Canal Blu-ray Extras: Behind The Scenes, Making Of Documentaries