REIGN OF ASSASSINS is a high budget, traditional martial arts epic that should please many viewers who liked CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, a film that also boasted superb fight choreography, lavish sets, an emotionally charged story set against a parallel, mythological Chinese background, spectacular cinematography, effective music and a string of memorable characters - and, like REIGN OF ASSASSINS, wasn't innovative in any way. What TIGER did better than most of the slew of wu xia epics that have been flooding Asian cinema since the early 1990s (e.g. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA by Tsui Hark) included presenting a fairly stringent storyline and fleshed-out central and supporting characters. The latter are two aspects that Hong Kong screenwriters aren't particularly good at, or simply just don't seem to care about.Director/screenwriter Su Chao-Pin clearly aims for an intriguing and coherent plot with colorful and developed characters, too. He largely succeeds, after a hectic and mildly confusing first 10 minutes. Once the central figure, Shi Yu (first played by Kelly Lin) is transformed into Zen Ping - and, thus, Michelle Yeoh, the story gains profile and depth. Yeoh plays a former elite assassin and member of the martial arts order "The Dark Stone", led by mysterious kung fu expert Cao Feng (Wang Xueqi). 800 years earlier a monk with supernatural powers had died; and assassins, politicians, bankers etc have been looking for his bodily remains ever since so that when they track it down they can benefit from its healing powers. A bit of a stretch I know, but read on: Shi Yu/Zen Ping has stolen the body and is now living peacefully with her new husband, Jiang Ah-Sheng (played by Korean "Musa" star Jung Koo-Sung) in some border town. But, of course, she hasn't heard the last of "The Dark Stone" yet. Soon her former fellow assassins have descended upon the town to look for her and the body. They are a colorful lot, including the particularly nasty and sexy Ye Zhan-Qing (played by Taiwanese singer and TV personality-turned actress Barbie Hsu) who does not shy away from disrobing to seduce elderly suitors (Don't get your hopes up, boys: It's half-naked backs and shoulders only).The performances are mostly up to par or better. But while Michelle Yeoh's role is the most substantial in terms of screen time and profile, she is frequently upstaged by various supporting actors, especially Barbie Hsu as Ye Zhan-Qing. While initially presented as a scheming and unscrupulous bitch (She's qualified to joining "The Dark Stone" by having killed her groom and his father), Hsu manages to imbue her role with a degree of vulnerability. When she finally gets her comeuppance - and in a particularly cruel way, too - the viewer cannot help but empathize with her and feel *some* pity. Wang Xueqi lends suitable gravitas and quiet authority to his role as the clan leader earlier in the film, but also conveys the actual desperation and loneliness of Cao Feng later on.Korean star Jung Koo-Song is the weakest link in the cast mostly because his role requires to him to be blandly friendly for the greater part of his screen time. There's a twist though to his character which is fairly ludicrous but still works.REIGN OF ASSASSINS boasts excellent photography (movement and framing), and veteran Stephen Tung Wei's fight choreography ranks with the best I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately, the "modern" quick cutting undermines his work, if just a little bit. Peter Kam, better known for his music for modern action thrillers, delivers an appropriately varied and serviceable, if not truly imaginative, score that mixes orchestra, Chinese folk instruments and electronics. John Woo produced the film and is credited with "co-direction", but his trademarks (slow-mo fighting, melodramatic excess, the occasional flock of white doves populating the frame) are nowhere to be found. Thankfully, I might add.REIGN OF ASSASSINS is a highly satisfactory and polished entry in the wu xia/wire fu genre that will appeal to both veteran kung fu/sword fight movie fans and "newbies". It does not add anything new to the genre but manages to come off as above par in almost every respect. Recommended.

The movie is simply awful. Hey, I understand that this genre supports people flying and other crazy things, but there are good movies in the genre out there. This one is just an embarrassment, probably one of the worst movies I've ever watched. The plot is too straightforward, no logic in people's actions, conversations are ridiculous. I mean, they hunt for some guy's remains, hide their identities, and at the same time discuss how it is better to air-dry noodles on a roof or how some powers will help a castrated guy grow his penis back! WTF??? I can imagine how much actors laughed while trying to say these things on camera with a serious face. Anyway, please spend your life on better things, cause this is garbage.

What first got my attention about this movie is the fact that Jung Woo-sung is in a Chinese movie with martial arts involved or wushu. Yeah "The Restless" sort of sucked which is a fantasy movie with sword fighting. But this movie is much better and Michelle Yeoh is also cool in this as well, actually she is badass. Woo-sung seemed to have really practiced Chinese for this role cause it sounds fluent. With just the intro to this movie you can tell what the style of this movie is going to be. The plot is ridiculous like other movies of this type of genre. About some powerful martial artist's remains giving super powers...Well basically lets you become the master of kung-fu and rule the martial arts world by having the remains of that dude. But I enjoyed the Asian comic book style of the movie, especially with the plot and characters. The plot isn't anything great it revolves around kung-fu, assassins, romance, and a dead corpse. What I liked is how almost every character in this movie stands out including the villains and each has important roles. On a negative note the plot is slow paced at times and would have been better if it picked up in certain parts. The fighting choreography however is entertaining to watch and for the most part you can actually see what is going on. Overall it's a kung-fu movie that is worth taking the time to watch, it even has some decent twist and turn in the plot.7.8/10

Yes there was..without counting Michelle Yeoh, everyone else felt like they shouldn't be on this movie. Everyone else didn't fit their roles. I think they capitalized on the faces, not on the ability to pull off a martial artist role. Take for example Shawn Yue. Even after seeing him from Infernal Affairs, and now this, I still can't associate him with action movies. I could see him more as a boy-next-door, rom-com type of guy. But with these type of movies..I digress. Also Jung Woo-sung. His acting shows a lot of effort, you can see in his expressions that it doesn't come off naturally. Although I have to say his fight scenes were tolerable. For both of them, I think their genre isn't action. Well at least not yet. They don't have the Andy Lau aura in them.But nothing beats how Barbie Xsu was a terrible cast for this one. Not only was the look of a fighter negated by her sweet and slender appearance but her fight scenes were not decent as well. If I'm not mistaken, this is her first time doing a role such as this. And its quite obvious. She's suited for dramas, rom-coms, romance...but this one, I don't think she's ready for these types of movies yet. She was fabulous in Meteor Garden, because she pulled off the strong-willed college girl, and she looks like it, and she can act like it..but as an assassin, that's another story. The wire-fus didn't even help. The only thing I could commend of her participating in the movie is the fact of her taking a risk of matured roles, evidenced by her sensual and seductive scenes. She was bareback more than once.Even Wang Xueqi didn't come off as a despicable villain. And his raspy voice didn't help either. First half or ¾ of the movie will only show him with his hood on, letting his soldiers do ground work whilst he does his hypnosis and mind games of some sort.. trying to appear as a real dangerous fighter, making it appear his real strength is reserved for a much-awaited battle of all battles in the end(then again, that's what leaders do right?)..but then I have to say I wasn't disappointed with the fight choreography in the end part. The John Woo trademark is once again present on this one. You know, a fight after a fight. Giving the viewers complete satisfaction of fight scenes. Although wire-fu is everywhere, they're tolerable and to a certain extent, convincing.One strength of this movie is the story. I love the story as much as it sounds familiar. Yes its our good ole battle-over-something plot again. But it does have a good twist and the presence of some romance element will distract the viewer's perception of this as a purely action movie for awhile. A good integration of elements of love, betrayal, destiny, revenge..and of course, action!