The Assassins
directed by Linshan Zhao
Well Go USA Entertainment
ChinaÕs third-century Three Kingdoms period of the Han Dynasty
is a time not quite dominated by one Emperor Xian (Alec Su), who wields the throne with disinterest, feeling much more
passionate about music and poetry and the finer things in life. A warlord named Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat) is aligned with the emperor,
charged with protecting the interests of the Han throne and preventing its capitulation under the onslaughts of a seemingly endless horde of
aggressors. Rumors fly around the court of Emperor Xian: IsnÕt it true that this perhaps too powerful man Cao Cao in fact wants the throne for himself?
The fickly flyweight emperor plots manly Cao CaoÕs death. Meanwhile, the children of Cao CaoÕs dead enemies are being kidnapped and trained to be
assassins. As an ancient prophecy declares, when four certain stars align over the emperorÕs Bronze Sparrow Tower, it is time to infiltrate and do the deedÉ
A visual feast to end all visual feasts, Linshan ZhaoÕs action-adventure epic The Assassins is,
much like The Matrix, say, or the Star Wars or Harry Potter or Hobbit movies so indebted to its feats of design and technological
wonder that its storyline can be rather a chore to follow. While it might seem churlish to quibble about such a thing in the context of an action-adventure-genre
film, it is because this particular story is based on an interesting bit of real history that one might wish to come away from the experience with a deeper
understanding of what exactly happened and why. But there is so much layering and colorizing and quick-cutting and computer-aided POV gimmickry
amid these awesomely colossal-scale battle sequences, incredibly lush tapestries and silken gowns and expansive vistas and jawdroppingly beautiful
other items that the story itself comes off a tad obligatory, a jumble of interlocking plots, flashbacks, psychologies and philosophies thrown onto the
cart for the sake of propelling the spectacle forward.
YetÉthis kind of carping about narrative coherency is fairly obligatory, too, given the sheer tonnage of
The AssassinsÕ sensual pleasures, among which are the very fine performances of Chow Yun Fat (deep, weighty, hyper-focused) and Alec SuÕs
humorous take on the wickedly shallow emperor. As doomed-by-fate lovers, Yifei Liu (White Vengeance) and Hiroshi Tamaki (Heavenly Forest)
capably handle the melodrama, but more importantly look great in profile against
looming castles and explosions in the sky.
ÐÐ John Payne
The Emperor Strikes Back