| Billy Chung's new wave swordplay effort can be easily summarized as very slight. At barely 80 minutes, the potential for an epic, sweeping Wuxia isn't there but Wen Shui-On's original novel isn't extensive as such and naturally, the movie seems to correspond to that. While there is a theme of swordsman Tong Po Ka (Zhang Fengyi - Farewell My Concubine) trying to regain and maintain his inner soul, Chung doesn't prove adept at dramatic beats. We move way too quickly into and away from everything but The Assassin does possess better traits on an entertainment level.
Cinematography by Chiu Fei and Jonathan Wong's (Dr. Lamb) traditional score gives the gritty nature to the film a boost while the Category III rating allows action directors Tung Wai and Benz Kong to more constantly amp the blood and guts compared to other new wave efforts at the time. This darker aspect is otherwise a minor Chung forte (see Love To Kill) and outside of the action, he presents a fair few grisly in your face sights, including torture involving sewing prisoner's eyes shut. Still, when no performer makes an impact either (film also stars Max Mok and Rosamund Kwan), you should turn to Ringo Lam's Burning Paradise and The Blade instead as they succeeded on many more accounts. |
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