The Assassins

Tamaki Hiroshi and Crystal Liu Y Fei star as Mu Shun and Ling Ju, childhood friends who are kidnapped at a young age to be trained as assassins with one mission in mind, to kill the cruel warlord Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat). As single minded as the pair may be, the film, directed by Linshan Zhao, meanders all over the place to try and encapsulate the history of the Han Dynasty in 90 minutes, much to the detriment of the original story. The film eventually finds the right balance of action and intrigue in the last half hour, but it’s almost too late given the plodding nature of the plot leading up to it. Still, Crystal Liu Yo Fei gives a compelling performance as the assassin forced to share a bed with the man she is dedicating to killing, and Chow Yun Fat is enormously entertaining as the vicious leader who defies the gods to gain power.