The Assassin

The dynamic but treacherous glory days of China's Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) are revisited in this frequently beautiful but somewhat enigmatic martial arts drama by veteran Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The assassin of the title is a woman, Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi),who first appears in the film's minimalist black-and-white prologue as a girl, taken from her family and trained as a cool, efficient killer. From here, the movie explodes into gorgeous colour and we are transported to the province of Weibo - Yinniang's childhood home. Now a woman, Yinniang has returned with orders tomurderlocal governor Lord Tian Ji'an (Chang Chen), who is also her cousin. Though she could kill him in a heartbeat, Yinniang misses several chances, revealing a hidden secret that threatens to compromise the mission. Episodic scenes of violence ensue but fans of martial arts should bed in for something more slow, spare and mysterious than the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Nevertheless, this exquisite ninth-century epic earned Hou the best director award at the Cannes film festival.