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The Butterfly
Tornado Alley
This review may contain spoilers
The window of opportunity has opened
Reign of Assassins is a good old-fashioned wuxia. Though lacking the artistic flair of Ang Lee and Zhang Yi Mou, it had more than enough exciting sword action and compelling acting to set it well above average. With assassins around every corner, hidden identities, and a little romance thrown in, ROA delivered.
Very minor spoilers:
The Dark Stone gang murders an official and his son in order to possess the remains of legendary monk Bodhi which are rumored to make the one in possession of them the ruler of the martial world as well as the source to miraculous healing. One of the assassins, Shi Yu, escapes with the remains and goes on the run with most of the assassin world searching for her. A soon to be monk named Wisdom helps her hide and they fall in love. He also gives her valuable information about the weaknesses of her Water Shedding sword technique. From her experience with him, she determines to turn over a new leaf. She visits Dr. Li who gives her a new face and identity. The freshly named Zeng Jing sets up a shop in town and soon falls in love with the local courier, Jiang Ah Sheng. He's a kind-hearted, clumsy, gentle man who seemingly couldn't hurt a fly. But the course of true love never runs smoothly and soon The Dark Stone gang and other contenders for the remains arrive in town when her secret identity is revealed.
This film might not have worked as well if Michelle Yeoh had not played Zeng Jing. She gave a complexity to the role that made her magnetic to watch. She and Jung Woo Sung had nice chemistry together and made for a believable couple. The Dark Stone gang was comprised of an eclectic group of killers. The Wheel King wore an obvious fake moustache and had personal reasons for wanting the remains. There was also an older assassin who was a magician, an assassin who used darts and had a loving wife at home, and a promiscuous and blood lusting new recruit who had murdered her fiancé and his family. Director Su Chao Pin took his time developing the characters and their complicated relationships which gave greater stakes to the fights and more fire to the vengeful surprises as they unfolded.
The fight choreography was creative and highly entertaining. Swords tore through the air so quickly, the action could be hard to follow. Wire-fu was used without making it the focal point and there were no Matrix slow-motion moves too often overused in films. Michelle Yeoh as always convincingly displayed a graceful dexterity with weapons and a dancer's flexibility with her kung fu moves. Korean actor, Jung Woo Sung acquitted himself well when it came his time to participate in the action.
This film embodied the important aspects of a good wuxia-revenge, quality fights, a little romance, and a satisfying redemption arch. Most of all, Reign of Assassins featured a captivating female swordswoman who evolved as a character and was allowed to fight her own battles. Michelle Yeoh once again demonstrated why she is the queen of martial arts movies.
7/19/23
Very minor spoilers:
The Dark Stone gang murders an official and his son in order to possess the remains of legendary monk Bodhi which are rumored to make the one in possession of them the ruler of the martial world as well as the source to miraculous healing. One of the assassins, Shi Yu, escapes with the remains and goes on the run with most of the assassin world searching for her. A soon to be monk named Wisdom helps her hide and they fall in love. He also gives her valuable information about the weaknesses of her Water Shedding sword technique. From her experience with him, she determines to turn over a new leaf. She visits Dr. Li who gives her a new face and identity. The freshly named Zeng Jing sets up a shop in town and soon falls in love with the local courier, Jiang Ah Sheng. He's a kind-hearted, clumsy, gentle man who seemingly couldn't hurt a fly. But the course of true love never runs smoothly and soon The Dark Stone gang and other contenders for the remains arrive in town when her secret identity is revealed.
This film might not have worked as well if Michelle Yeoh had not played Zeng Jing. She gave a complexity to the role that made her magnetic to watch. She and Jung Woo Sung had nice chemistry together and made for a believable couple. The Dark Stone gang was comprised of an eclectic group of killers. The Wheel King wore an obvious fake moustache and had personal reasons for wanting the remains. There was also an older assassin who was a magician, an assassin who used darts and had a loving wife at home, and a promiscuous and blood lusting new recruit who had murdered her fiancé and his family. Director Su Chao Pin took his time developing the characters and their complicated relationships which gave greater stakes to the fights and more fire to the vengeful surprises as they unfolded.
The fight choreography was creative and highly entertaining. Swords tore through the air so quickly, the action could be hard to follow. Wire-fu was used without making it the focal point and there were no Matrix slow-motion moves too often overused in films. Michelle Yeoh as always convincingly displayed a graceful dexterity with weapons and a dancer's flexibility with her kung fu moves. Korean actor, Jung Woo Sung acquitted himself well when it came his time to participate in the action.
This film embodied the important aspects of a good wuxia-revenge, quality fights, a little romance, and a satisfying redemption arch. Most of all, Reign of Assassins featured a captivating female swordswoman who evolved as a character and was allowed to fight her own battles. Michelle Yeoh once again demonstrated why she is the queen of martial arts movies.
7/19/23
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