The Assassin (2015)

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Better Late Then Never

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

"The Assassin" is much better than most of the cliché, mindless, action movies produced in China. Of course, there are great films made in China such as John Woo's "Hard Boiled", "The Killer", and "Red Cliff Pt. 1 and 2", and Wong Kar Wai's "The Grandmaster"; these are just a few.One way that it stands out greatly is the cinematography. Every scene from start to finish is a visual ecstasy that enchants the audience, making them anxiously wait for a new surprisingly beautiful shot. The contrast is sharp but not in the repelling way a YouTube amateur action film is; it captures the light and dark perfectly. Hsiao-Hsen Hou shows her proficiency in contrast from the very beginning which is in black and white. The light and dark were balanced and gave depth to the scene. When the movie was displayed in full color, I was blown away. She adhered to the color wheel to combine opposing colors in the frame, adding color to the contoured contrast and creating a beautiful shot.The composition of the shots were also great. Hou used the set design and camera positioning to lead the audience's eye to the subject. I also appreciated the masterful long takes. A big problem with most movies is they cut too soon. A movie doesn't have to be like "Russian Ark" where the entire film is one take. If the camera stays where it is long enough, the audience will be able to find meaning from what the characters are feeling and what their surrounding environment is like; if that perspective changes, we start all over.This ties in with some complaints that "The Assassin" moves too slowly. There were times that I got tired, but I realized that maybe there's more to this scene where not a single character talks. Maybe if I observe the characters and environment carefully, I can get my own meaning out of it.The acting was great, and the characters were easy to understand even when they weren't speaking to each other. Also the set design was superb. All shots were realistic and on-site, the natural landscapes and man-made structures were magnificent, and it really immersed me into the film."The Assassin"'s writing is unconventional but well done, where much of the communication is through reading emotions. The characters don't say what they mean a lot of the time, but they communicate the truth from their unrelenting emotions caused by trying to deal with moral conflicts and dilemmas that they can't show to society. Many conflicts don't get resolved, characters are bound by societal demands, and the pain stays. One critique I can think of for this film is parts of the score. There was a fight scene that had a soundtrack that I thought was ill-fitting. It's probably because its composition was too complex for the time period and was paired with indigenous instruments meant for a simplistic, East Asian pace of music. This is only a minor concern and I didn't subtract an entire star just for this criticism.Overall it was a great movie: unconventional, experimental, beautiful, and emotionally realistic; "The Assassin" definitely stands out from others in the East Asian cinema, in the best way.

"The Assassin" wants to be a crossover of Chinese wuxia flicks and art-house cinema. Unfortunately, it shows neither great fights, nor deep emotions. The story of the movie is fairly standard: A female assassin is assigned to kill her former lover. That way she is supposed to prove that she is cold-hearted enough for her duties. Fair enough, this might be interesting. But the director Hsiao-Hsien Hou feels the need to cloud "The Assassin" with subplots that are unnecessary at best and bloody confusing at worst. Half the time I was wondering: "Who is this? Where are they going? Why? Whyyy?"Now to be confusing is one thing. Some of my favourite films are downright incomprehensible. But you've got to give your audience a reason to stick around, to solve the cinematic puzzle. But Hou gives us nothing. The characters are flat and the emotions are hollow. The fights are meaningless as well, because you can't identify with the characters. Sure, some of the landscapes look fantastic; and there's a pretty cool scene involving veils in front of the camera. Other than that, this movie left me gravely disappointed. Trust me, you'll be better off watching Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for the tenth time.

I found this film when it was listed in the BBC news' top 20 films of the 2015. This film topped the chart, then how can I just ignore which is my prime world news feed. The fun part was I saw a South Korean film called 'Assassination' believed to be this, but very I soon realised the mistake. Anyhow, I loved the Korean film that I reviewed a couple of moths ago on this same blog.Finally, I managed to see this Mandarin film, but it was not anything like I've been expecting. Critically acclaimed film, but commercially failed because of the slow narration. Jointly produced by China-Hong Kong-Taiwan, but selected as a Taiwanese entry to the Oscars that failed to make a progress to the main event.Not everybody can easily follow this narration. Because this is not a typical historical film presentation with a clear introduction like in the background voice or in the texts, except in the opening that letting us know where and how it begins. The lack of the character development is the factor for all the complication. So I strongly suggest to read the synopsis before the watch and have a look at the film character infographic once finished watching.The story sets in the 8th century China during the final years of the Tang Dynasty. When a well trained assassin failed to accomplish the mission directed by her master, she is sent to another province for another assignment where she starts to remember her past that she has some connection with her undertaking. With all the bad things happening in and around the royal family, state politics et cetera, the rift is inevitable that anytime the dynasty might fall. The remaining the tale reveals how the film ends with a realistic approach."The way of the sword is pitiless. Saintly virtues play no part in it. Your skills are matchless, but your mind is hostage to human sentiments."I am a film fanatic, so basically I love all the films I watch. But I prefer entertainment the most, followed by the message, education, inspiration, true events et cetera. I had seen many films like this that I mostly ended up unsatisfied. Because a film without the background score as same as silent lullaby. Speaking of music, when the film was in the final scene there came a music which I compare to oasis. That's the beautiful sound I have heard in this entire narration. Slow camera panning and fixed cameras for minutes is what I disliked in it or any similar themed films.I appreciate the effort to preserve the historical account in a film format, but the type of narration matters a lot if they expect the audiences backing. A film like this is specially made for film festivals, surely critics love it and as I heard they did. I can't believe even if the film critics failed to recognise what would be the film's fate.So it is a slow film then, but when the stunt sequences appeared, I was thrilled with my full attention. Well composed realistic fights, that's what anybody remembers when they think of Chinese films. But I warn you this is not a complete martial art film except now and then you encounter such scenes. It is not even a horror, but there was a scene with smoke which scared the hell out of me. I was not expecting such thing, besides, I was bored to death when this thing came I woke up.The film was shot in the beautiful outdoor places. Apart from the stunts, I loved the landscapes which were just resembled the classical Chinese paintings. I did not find any performances that impressive. I appreciate their effort, but since the story was told without anyone's particular perspective, felt like everyone had equal scope for their roles.Overall, I did not like the film and I'm not suggesting it to anybody. But if you are interested in the Chinese ancient history or love the art films then you could try it. This is first low rated film to review on this blog which is I've been avoiding since the beginning, but decided to write for all kinds of rating now onwards.3/10

The Assassin is promoted as a martial arts film, which is extremely misleading, as we see very few fight scenes. Shu Qi is the lead as a female killer, Nie Yinniang, in seventh century China. She was given to a nun as a small child, and after some unseen battle training returns to her birth place to kill corrupt political and military leaders. Qui is stunning and the cinematography breathtaking; first in black and white with shadows, an obvious Citizen Kane influence, to magnificent color shots of pastel looking silk finery and opulent palaces. The problem is the slow pace and somewhat confusing story line. Viewed as a visual piece, it succeeds, but I would have preferred a more clear cut theme. I will still recommend The Assassin for the beautiful Shu Qi, and the richness of the scenery.