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Blu-ray Review: “The Assassin” Is Beautiful To Look At But That’s All

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An assassin accepts a dangerous mission to kill a political leader in seventh-century China.

“The Assassin” takes place in China during the 8th century at the time of the Tang Dynasty. Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi) is an assassin who is chosen by her master Jiaxin (Fang-Yi Sheu), a nun who raised her from an early age, to kill unscrupulous government officials. When Yinniang fails to kill a mark because his young son is asleep in his lap at the time of her arrival, Jiaxin disciplines her by dispatching her to the far off area of Weibo, in northern China.

Once there however, she quickly realizes that her mission is not just another random kill but that of a military commander, Tian Ji’an (Chang Chen), her cousin that she was once very much in love with. Will she be able to follow through on her orders or will her heart get in the way?

By the time you get to the end of the film, you honestly don’t care. While “The Assassin” is absolutely flawless to look at and is filled with exquisite imagery, director Hou Hsiao-Hsien lets shots linger, almost indefinitely, to the point of ridiculousness. A group of servants filling a wooden bath tub with water and adding various bath salts and herbs is fine for a few moments but it almost felt like the director walked off for lunch and forget to yell “Cut!” and the actors just kept doing their thing.

A husband and wife sit beside each other and we watch for what feels like an eternity as nothing happens. They start out in an upright seated position with hardly any dialogue and she eventually rests her head on his shoulder and this is the only movement in the entire scene. I’m all about letting the camera sit motionless and allowing the story and performances to take center stage but there comes a point where the audience begins to feel awkward just watching, and you wonder if the film did indeed have a director or even if the actors knew they were being filmed.

There was such a terrific story to tell here but unfortunately it was wasted. Apparently, director Hou Hsiao-Hsie was more concerned with making a beautiful-looking movie instead of telling the best story he could. Maybe he should take up photography.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD Tuesday, January 26th

 
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James McDonald

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, James is a Movie Critic with 40 years of experience in the film industry as an Award-Winning Filmmaker. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association.