THE ASSASSIN is a stylish and bloody film featuring some terrific actors including Mainland Chinese actor Zhang Feng-yi (FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE) and Hong Kong’s Rosamund Kwan in an ambitious, yet dizzying story that may leave viewers frustrated at first glance.

Tong Po-ka (Zhang) is separated from Yiu (Kwan), his lover and thrown into prison. After being tortured, Po-ka is pitted against his fellow prisoners in a life and death contest to select a new assassin for the kingdom. Having survived, he is renamed “Tong Chop” and enters the service of the kingdom’s sadistic ruler.

After a series of successful assassinations alongside Wong Kau, his new friend and fellow assassin, Tong fails a mission when he finds himself unable to kill a child. Wong, his ambitious friend finishes the job while Tong retreats into the mountains to escape his grim occupation.

Tong happens upon Yiu who has remarried and begins a new life with her family and neighbors until he is found by his fellow assassins. Now Tong must face Wong, who has taken his place as top assassin and he must confront the kingdom’s corrupt ruler.

This colorful swordplay film sports impressive outdoor imagery, menacing sets and fanciful fights similar to Ronny Yu’s masterpiece THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR.

The film earned a Category III rating in Hong Kong for containing absolutely fiendish graphic violence where huge swords cleave limbs and vicious metal claws tear apart unsuspecting victims.

The rapid pace of editing seen throughout the film greatly enhances the first scene where we see Tong engage in his first assignment with his cohorts. As the objectives and assigned positions are described to the assassins, the camera quickly pans through the narrow street, showing each assassin waiting in his hiding spot. Incredibly, one assassin even waits submerged in a nearby body of water covered with ice. Once the battle erupts, the camera deftly slides left down one side of the street, scrolling through the carnage.

While the choreography is pure fantasy, the story’s grim tone and the leading actors’ somber performances keep the film from leaping completely past the realm of suspended disbelief.

Zhang Feng-yi plays the lead with no emotion and appears appropriately weary at times. His martial counterpart is Wong, played by Max Mok who is less convincing in his role as a ruthless killer. Rosamund Kwan’s character, Yiu gets less screen time than she should have considering the character’s relationship to Tong.

What the actors cannot help is the story’s manic pace and abrupt editing. While modern action films from Hong Kong are well known for their visually high-octane editing, THE ASSASSIN appears to have taken that style to heart with the story’s pacing as well. Most scenes appear hurried and the story, which must have taken place over a couple of years is presented in a “Foot Notes” fashion as if the filmmakers were either pressured to keep the film short or were forced to make significant cuts in post-production.

It’s unfortunate that the film’s story which has more potential is marred by poor editing. The actors have little else to do but try and keep up. Against other swordplay films such as THE BLADE and Wong Kar Wai’s ASHES OF TIME, that both mixed grim realism with stylish editing, THE ASSASSIN only marginally holds its own.

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