The Assassins [HD]

Didn't quite meet expectations
First, the description provided by Amazon and Well Go USA (on the packaging of the DVD) confused me when I first started watching the film. Both descriptions reference the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD), and in reality, the film was based upon events at the end of the Eastern or Later Han Dynasty (25 AD - 220 AD) and the very beginning of the Three Kingdoms period. Added to that, the film seemed to be geared towards an audience familiar with this period of time and the major players (dead and alive). As such, I spent a lot of time figuring out who was who and how they fit into the overall story. If you are not too familiar with the story either, I would suggest you briefly educate yourself on Cao Cao and Xian, Emperor of Han, making note of how Dong Zhou fits into the picture. I anticipate this will help you better engage with the characters and enhance your enjoyment of the film.

From a cinematic perspective, I thought cinematographer, Zhao Xiao Ding's, use of...

Found Myself Easily Drifting
I love Chow Yun Fat, so when I saw that he had a new movie out, I immediately rented it. The newer movies from China are noticeably more beautiful so I was expecting no less from this movie. I was not disappointed in the least about the cinematography. It was extremely crisp and clear and the use of colors and scenery were wonderful. The costumes were also visually stunning. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the film for me.
This movie is about the story of Cao Cao, played by Chow Yun Fat. I've watched a couple of movies regarding the Three kingdoms of China so I sort of picked up some of the history between the movies and reading what I can about it. The last movie that I saw that showed Cao Cao in a negative light was Red Cliff (by the way, an excellent movie to watch if you like this time period ) so for some reason I had that mental picture of Cao Cao in my mind for this movie. This movie spun off a different view of Cao Cao which had me rooting for him. Interesting...

(3.5 Stars) "The Assassins" is an enjoyable historical drama inspired by North China warlord Cao Cao
When it comes to Chinese historical dramas, the warlord and chancellor Cao Cao has been featured in various films and video games.

A man who has been portrayed as cruel in order to achieve dominance in China and thus looked at as a tyrant, he is also praised as a military genius. But while historians will forever debate Cao Cao and many loose film adaptations continue to be created on historical figures, in today's modern age, you tend to watch these films and not take it so much as factual history but as entertainment.

And who best to write the film than Bin Wang ("House of Flying Daggers", "Hero") and feature the work of director Linshan Zhao. And for marketability, cast as Cao Cao is actor Chow Yun-Fat ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "The Killer", "Hard Boiled", "Curse of the Golden Flower"), to promote the film overseas, Japanese actor Hiroshi Tamaki ("Nodame Cantabile", "Last Christmas", "Waterboys") was also cast as the character Mu Shun and cast for...

Click to Editorial Reviews