THE ASSASSIN (1993) back to main
Directed by Chung Siu-Hung; starring Zhang Feng-Yi, Max Mok Siu-Chung, Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam, Cheung Kwok-Bak, Ngai Tai-Wang. 
Earthy, visceral swordsman film in which a hired assassin (Zhang Feng-Yi, of FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE fame) retires from business, prompting his former employer to hunt him down (with a little help from Max Mok). Of course, having been a pro for years, he knows how to turn the tables. Quite different from the many "wu xia" films of 1993, THE ASSASSIN is a brutal (and I mean brutal), unrelenting study of loyalty and the vicious circle of killing, with no trace of HK humour whatsoever! Mature audiences only.

NOTE: The China Star VCD is without subs.
Alarmingly realistic-looking torture
scene early in THE ASSASSIN.
No, this is not Luis Bunuel
.
Robert Redford he certainly isn't.
Mainland Chinese star Zhang Feng-Yi
is tired of killing (he played a
not-dissimilar role in the remarkable
SUN VALLEY by He Ping).
Max Mok Siu-Chung isn't tired at all.
Rosamund Kwan seems a lot less
glamorous than usual, and is certainly
less doll-like.
Amid all the blooshed, there
are occasional scenes of beauty and
even tranquillity.
Blueish and yellowish colors dominate
in THE ASSASSIN. A stylish
film in which even the gore seems
aesthetic ...
... most of the time.
It all comes down to a hand-to-hand
fight, naturally. The swordfighting
in ASSASSIN is a lot less balletic than
in most HK films, but therefore seems
much more physical and authentic.