An assassin accepts a dangerous mission to kill a political leader in seventh-century China.
The underlying message of the film might be that sometimes it is crueller or more dangerous not to kill a miscreant. It might also be the case that the film is more taken by emotions, beauty and passing fancies than plot and character.
Exquisitely made, deliberately slow-moving.
Anyone who cares about great film-making has to see The Assassin.
A measured, elegantly choreographed tale with Shu Qi convincingly capturing the steely determination and conflicted heart of the lethal, black-garbed assassin.
Targets cinematic pleasure and kills it stone dead.
Hou Hsiao-hsien’s painterly tale of Tang dynasty intrigue is a magnificent blend of fleet-footed action dark magic and emotional realism.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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