The Assassin (2015) - From director Hou Hsiao-hsien

[whitesnake]

I couldn't find the thread for this. It was posted in the news section several years ago that Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien would direct a martial arts movie called The Assassin (aka Nie Yin Niang), based on the legend of a female Tang dynasty assassin, Nie Yin Niang. According to the Kung Fu Cinema news, posted by Mark Pollard, the movie "is based on an 8th-century legend of a girl who is kidnapped by nuns and as an adult woman uses illusion and martial arts skills to challenge the male world". Cast includes Qi Shu (as Nie Yin Niang), Chen Chang, and Satoshi Tsumabuki. The director has been considering this project since 1989, according to Film Business Asia -

(http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/hou-hsiao-hsiens-assassin-wraps

Now The Assassin is one of the "most anticipated films" at Cannes this month. Some stills from the movie are posted at http://thefilmstage.com/news/new-images-from-cannes-premieres-macbeth-arabian-nights-cemetery-of-splendour-and-more/2/

Well Go USA has picked up North American rights to The Assassin.

More about the movie was recently posted at http://filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com/2015/04/hou-assassin-makes-rounds-with-new.html

More on the legend of Nie Yinniang at http://www.kungfucinema.com/electric-shadows/heroic-daughters-swordswomen-in-traditional-chinese-literature

[One Armed Boxer]

First look -

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[One Armed Boxer]

Review is up from the guys over at Twitch -

http://twitchfilm.com/2015/05/cannes-2015-review-wrestling-with-the-assassins-beautiful-nothing.html

[M.H. Boroson]

I'm so eager to see this! Variety's review calls it

a mesmerizing slow burn of a martial-arts movie that boldly merges stasis and kinesis, turns momentum into abstraction, and achieves breathtaking new heights of compositional elegance: Shot for shot, it’s perhaps the most ravishingly beautiful film Hou has ever made, and certainly one of his most deeply transporting.

[thekfc]

Hou Hsiao-Hsien won the Best Director Award at The Cannes Film Festival.

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/theDailyArticle/62010.html

[whitesnake]

New trailer for The Assassin and images are at

http://filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.com/2015/07/watch-majestic-new-teaser-for-hou.html#more

[GOLDEN DRAGON Y-Y]

The Assassin (2015)

Taiwan

Cast:

Shu Qi

Chang Chen

Zhou Yun

Nikki Hsieh

Ethan Ruan

Movie Genre: Action, Thriller

Language: Mandarin Chinese

GD Y-Y

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

This thread should be poppin. I heard good things from people who saw this at festivals. 

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

This thread should be poppin. I heard good things from people who saw this at festivals. 

GREAT

[One Armed Boxer]

Kozo over at lovehkfilm recently weighed in with his thoughts on this one -

 

http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/assassin_2015.html

[FilmMomatic]

"The film is this generation's Ashes of Time."

 

https://filmmomaticreviews.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/movie-review-the-assassin/

 

Also visit my review site and follow my Twitter account (https://twitter.com/FilmMomatic) for more reviews!

 

[SeventhVenom]

Am I the only one that thought this film was horribly overrated? Saw it yesterday in theaters and I was sorely disappointed.

You can read my full review here: http://www.bloodbrothersfilmreviews.blogspot.com/2015/11/assassin-2015.html

 

[DrNgor]

This movie won five Taiwanese Golden Horse awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Sound Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Make-up and Costume Design.

[mark187]

I'm with you Seventh Venom, I saw it the other night in then theater...apparently it was filmed mostly in a full-screen aspect ratio? I love Shu Qi, and I wasn't expecting a wuxia action picture by any means, coming from Hou Hsiao-Hsien. I mildly enjoyed both Millennium Mambo and Three Times, but Flowers of Shanghai took me two tries to watch entirely. Unfortunately, The Assassin didn't do it for me. I love Ashes of Time, but this film is nothing on that. It was very lethargic and unfortunately, more often than not, a chore to get through. So, no I don't think The Assassin is this generation's Ashes of Time, if you want that, get Wong Kar-Wai to do another wuxia film.

[AlbertV]

I know Hou's work so I knew what to expect coming in and while the action itself was more grounded as opposed to the wirework (even though there was a little touch of that), but my only complaint was that it moved at a snail's pace. Granted, I liked the story and the action was ok for what it was, but the pacing was what bothered me. I watched it over the weekend. 

[Drunken Monk]

I cheated and viewed some of the action in this one. I felt it lacked any kind of excitement or even the typical grace found in so many other wuxia films. It feels sloppy and doesn't mirror the seemingly artsy feel to the film as a whole.

[mpm74]

Kyle Warner gives his two cents on THE ASSASSIN at City on Fire...

http://www.cityonfire.com/the-assassin-aka-the-hidden-heroine-2015-shu-qi-review/

[Secret Executioner]

This one's coming out in theaters in February over here. Will check it out mainly because movies like this don't pop up every week in your local theaters.  

[Super Ninja]

The Assassin is one of those movies I bought on Blu-ray without watching it first because, well, Hou Hsiao-Hsien is making a wuxia, isn't that enough of a reason? I didn't regret a cent, The Assassin is as great as expected. Like pretty much every time an art-house director tries making a wuxia, the result is quite different and certainly not what everyone expects. I was warned about Hou's latest being all but your typical wuxia movie but I didn't care much, I was familiar with Hou Hsiao Hsien's work and I knew what to expect. Not only that, it was one of those Saturdays when I was just in the right mood for a HHH movie. The Assassin being an "action" one made it all the better.

The Assassin is classic Hou Hsiao-Hsien, slow pace, long takes, elliptical storytelling, frames within frames and very little, slow camera movement. One thing that's new and I can't remember seeing in his prior films is changing the aspect ratio during the movie. This happens in one scene only, a classic wuxia scene often seen in Chor Yuen's films, a sight of a woman playing guzheng. 1.33 switches to 1.85:1 and back. I'm suspecting a symbolic meaning behind this but I'll have to watch the movie once again before saying more.

I cannot praise enough the beautiful cinematography and colors here, as well as make-up and costumes and also, Hou's decision to built the sets outdoors in order to keep the natural light, wind and even birdsong. If you know this you can pay attention while watching, it adds to the experience. Combined with the saturated colors, beautiful sets and locations among which is a nice shot of Wudang in B&W, the result is mesmerizing.

Because of the stillness of the movie, when the action hits in every move carries twice the weight. Sure, the action is interesting mostly because the rest tends to be sleep inducing (perfectly normal for a HHH movie), but it's the kind of action that fits well into Hou's vision. There are entire fights filmed from a distance (opposite shore from the one where the action is taking place) or being left off-screen with just the sounds of blades clashing. The fast pace of the fights and the editing are a nice contrast to the long takes, they break the peacefulness of the movie and are more in the chambara style. HHH admitted he loves Japanese samurai movies and wanted realism instead of classic wuxia action, he is more interested in the tension before and what happens after the fight. Stephen Tung was a martial arts consultant while Ming Zhe Liu (Mainlander?) was stunt coordinator according to IMDb so I'm not sure who to give credit for the choreo...

The Assassin is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. We can only be happy we've had an opportunity seeing directors like Wong Kar-Wai, Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee trying their hand at kung fu and wuxia films, however different the results was more often then not a great one. The Assassin is a masterpiece in my book, a dreamy, restrained and beautiful new high point in HHH's filmography.

 

A word of warning: avoid YT reviews, they are awful and made me think there should be a death penalty for dumb reviewers or at least some form of torture. Kozo's review on the other hand is fair and probably the best one I've read.

 

[thelastweaponmaster]

Just my 2 cents.  I also bought this sight unseen based on some positive reviews I had seen beforehand.

I watched this with my family and at the end apologized to them for the time wasted in watching this (something that I had never done before or since).    I think I am fairly forgiving and objective when watching a martial arts film but I have to say this was the most disappointing film that I have seen in a long time.   If you looking for tight choreography or action, you won't find it in this film.   Not sure why they needed a martial arts consultant for this film as there was very little action.  So slow-paced you wonder if the movie actually started yet by the end.    Definitely not 99% of the population's cup of tea. 

I don't usually post much here but I figure I post a strong warning here.  Anything else would be a better choice to watch than this film.

 

[DragonClaws]

On 7/21/2021 at 1:13 PM, Super Ninja said:

The Assassin is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. We can only be happy we've had an opportunity seeing directors like Wong Kar-Wai, Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee trying their hand at kung fu and wuxia films, however different the results was more often then not a great one. The Assassin is a masterpiece in my book, a dreamy, restrained and beautiful new high point in HHH's filmography.

 

Good write-up @Super Ninja.

[DrNgor]

I have debated buying that film several times. It's a little expensive--about 30 - 40 Brazilian reals--by local standards, and reviewers seem to be split on whether or not the arthouse approach and downplaying of the action is worth the final product or not. Still not sure if I'll fork over the money for it.

[Super Ninja]

16 hours ago, thelastweaponmaster said:

Just my 2 cents.  I also bought this sight unseen based on some positive reviews I had seen beforehand.

I watched this with my family and at the end apologized to them for the time wasted in watching this (something that I had never done before or since).    I think I am fairly forgiving and objective when watching a martial arts film but I have to say this was the most disappointing film that I have seen in a long time.   If you looking for tight choreography or action, you won't find it in this film.   Not sure why they needed a martial arts consultant for this film as there was very little action.  So slow-paced you wonder if the movie actually started yet by the end.    Definitely not 99% of the population's cup of tea. 

I don't usually post much here but I figure I post a strong warning here.  Anything else would be a better choice to watch than this film.

 

I'm sorry to hear that @thelastweaponmaster, your opinion seems to be shared by the majority of those that have seen the movie, critics excluded. I do disagree and would be glad to see more favorable reactions from the fans. Knowing what to expect action wise and being familiar with the work of HHH is the key here, there's plenty of reviews out there to warn the potential viewers about this. I'm not alone in my opinion but even if I were, I'd still say The Assassin is an overlooked gem. 

15 minutes ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Good write-up @Super Ninja.

Thanks @DragonClaws!

[DrNgor]

The next film in my 2015 "Review All Years" marathon is this one. Beautiful film, but not for everybody. It is also my 900th Chinese--HK, Taiwan, PRC--film watched.

https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-assassin-2015.html

 

Edited August 4 by DrNgor

[Super Ninja]

The Assassin was the last movie shot in the Central Pictures studio in Taipei where Joseph Kuo and Lee Tso-nam made a lot of their kung fu films.