10th Old School Kung Fu Festival: The Assassin Review

This will be one of many reviews during the 10th Annual Old School Kung Fu Fest: Sword Fighting Heroes Edition by Subway Cinema. To keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Released in 2015, director Hsaio-Hsien Hou’s subdued Wuxia epic, The Assassin, is appealing for many different reasons but the biggest standout is its diversion from tropes embedded in the well-established genre by shifting its focus towards the beauty of stillness, a trait that is often never explored in martial arts-heavy films. Through this lens, the film can easily be overlooked because of its decision to not include non-stop action set pieces motivated by a sprawling journey of revenge. Instead, the film’s confidence is on display through the seldom fight scenes that occur alongside its limited dialogue between characters. For some admirers of the genre, that anti-approach might be a strong deterrent for an entertaining viewing, however, within the film, there are truly breathtaking moments of grandeur, sadness, and even hope that become a welcome reprieve from typical hack-and-slash vengeance tales.

The Assassin follows Nie Yienniang (Qi), a ruthless killer who has been groomed in martial arts since a very young age. Tasked with the elimination of corrupt governors and politicians, a hesitation with one of her orders to kill a current governor to who she was once betrothed causes her to embark on a journey of redemption that ultimately leads Nie to decide between the only duty she has ever known or the concept of love and mercy. For most of the film, Nie is stoic and remorseless, but as the narrative slowly unfolds, she is allowed to confront memories and feelings that she buried long ago. It’s even more intriguing how the majority of this emotional breakthrough is not conducted through large monologues or series of reflections, but crafted by surrounding scenery and the unspoken tension of two opposing forces on an inevitable collision course.

While its unorthodox approach to storytelling within this genre should be commended and is appreciated given the market saturation of these films, it does also contribute to the film’s overall pacing never fully finding itself. It is admirable that The Assassin made a conscious choice to present a common story from a different perspective, a feat that many films are apprehensive about even entertaining, but in many instances throughout its running time will lead the minds of many to drift towards the wish of spontaneous fight scenes to occur in order to break up some of the existing monotony.

In the end, The Assassin finds a way to successfully force its audience to appreciate the quiet moments that occur in between the actions of life. Its focus never wavers in showcasing how internal conflict can always be triggered by a single moment or decision that can send one’s path into another unexpected direction. The film’s strength ultimately lies within its amazing production and costume design, cinematography, and screenplay which all work in harmony to deliver a Wuxia epic that easily subverts expectations.

still courtesy of Well Go USA

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