"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.

"Nie yin niang" or "The Assassin" is a Taiwanese Mandarin-language movie from 2015. The director is Hsiao-Hsien Hou (a filmmaker for a very long time), who won at Cannes for his work here, and he is also one of the several writers coming up with the script here. This one was nominated for a BAFTA (lost to the Argentinian entry) and was also Taiwan's official submission to the Oscars, but did not even make the short-list. It runs for approximately 105 minutes and it is a tale of murder as the title already tells audiences. As with most productions from China, Hongkong and Taiwan these days, the visual side in terms of costumes, sets decoration, art direction and cinematography is really strong. But sadly I must say this is also the only are where the film really delivers. The acting is so-so, the fight sequences are okay too, but the story and plot as a whole never really made me care at all. I liked the general plot idea of the woman being out to kill the man, but not immediately, which is why they meet on several occasions and he was probably very scared the longer the film goes because of how gifted she seems to be as a fighter, even if he won't let us see that. But all the side plots about minor characters added pretty much nothing to the overall outcome. And the consequence was that the film dragged a whole lot during these scenes, every time when we don't see the two protagonists together, which was basically 75% of the film, maybe more. I somehow did like the ending though because her decision fit nicely with the film's general tone and the character's mostly peaceful approach. Something different fur sure. However, you could also argue that the ending renders everything pointless that happened before and I cannot really disagree. I do believe that all these awards bodies that praised this film here really liked the ending and forgot about the mediocre 90 minutes before that. Well.. I don't and that's why I give this one a thumbs-down. Not recommended. So many writers and such a weak outcome. Truly disappointing. The martial arts component is barely existing in this film, even if it is always there somehow nonetheless, even if we don't see it, but sadly the entertainment factor isn't. Thumbs down.

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 filmmaking style of the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien is amazing. Here is a film sold worldwide as a martial-arts film but made with incredible restraint from its performers and a delightfully managed soundtrack that raises its level to a sophisticated work of cinema that well-deserved its Best Director Award at Cannes.The film's cinematography is a delight. The sequence where the assassin meets the Governor of Weibo is remarkable with the sheer curtains camouflaging the assassin. Elsewhere, the film's cinematography is aided by superb choices of external locations carefully chosen in mainland China.The next highlight of the film are performances of two supporting actresses Zhou Yun (as the Governor's wife) and Fang-Yi Sheu (in the double role as Princess Jiacheng and her twin sister the nun). They are adorable in this movie as they have to convey feelings with extreme subtlety. Ms Fang-Yi Sheu's choreography seemed too western and reminiscent of the Martha Graham school, of which the actress I found is indeed a product. The dance I found was close to modern dance mixed with Sufi music. Probably, I am too picky.The music and soundtrack are equally delightful as the performances. The management of the soundtrack from silence to light footsteps to a few plucked string notes of a zither to full blown music at the end of the film present a rainbow of musical/aural pleasures for a keen viewer of cinema. However, the final musical piece during the end credits, was possibly less Oriental and more European to my ears. It almost sounded like bagpipes were playing in China.All in all, the film was a delight. A major film of 2015 that I saw in 2016. This film was superior to "Dheepan", which ultimately won the top prize at Cannes.