Rotten
"The Assassin" is gorgeous to look at, but not all that compelling to watch.
Adam Graham, Detroit News
The Assassin
2015 · 1h 45m · Not Rated
Action, Drama, History
Directed by
Hou Hsiao-hsien
Overview
9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
80%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Worth seeing for the cinematography alone.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fresh
It's so lovely, from the brocade draped interiors to the mist moving over a landscape in the half light, like a series of confounding paintings placed end to end.
Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed News
Fresh
The visuals relegate the acting to secondary importance. They overwhelm the story. And they make "The Assassin" unforgettable.
Soren Anderson, Seattle Times
Rotten
Part of the problem is Hou's style works at odds with the material.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
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