THE ASSASSIN is an early film in the careers of star Jimmy Wang Yu and director Chang Cheh, made as a follow-up to their success of THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN. This is a film which flirts with the usual action motifs of the Shaw Brothers studio in the 1960s, but for the most part is a slow-moving character-based drama, something sure to infuriate fans looking for martial arts-focused mayhem.
The film starts off on a very strong footing indeed and I'd argue that the first half an hour is the best part of the production. It involves martial arts school rivalry (a plot that would inspire countless kung fu flicks in the 1970s), sword fights, betrayal, and heroic death. The action is breathlessly entertaining and extraordinarily bloody for its era. After this point, the story becomes more introspective and slows down quite considerably for the middle part. Wang Yu's character is little more than one-note despite attempts at depth and the overlong running time does nothing for the pace.
Even worse, there's something of the dreaded romantic sub-plot in this one, unusual for Cheh who was well known for avoiding having women in his films wherever possible. There are some familiar faces around though, most notably Tien Peng who enjoys something away from his typical stock villain performance. The trappings of the genre are fine and the film is a visual treat; as with most Shaw features you could happily watch it muted and still get nearly the full experience. Things pick up for a classic and bloody heroic bloodshed-style climax which piles on the action and makes up somewhat for the slower scenes earlier on. THE ASSASSIN isn't so much a classic as a vital stepping stone in the careers of all those involved; much greatness was to follow for all of the main players here.
The film starts off on a very strong footing indeed and I'd argue that the first half an hour is the best part of the production. It involves martial arts school rivalry (a plot that would inspire countless kung fu flicks in the 1970s), sword fights, betrayal, and heroic death. The action is breathlessly entertaining and extraordinarily bloody for its era. After this point, the story becomes more introspective and slows down quite considerably for the middle part. Wang Yu's character is little more than one-note despite attempts at depth and the overlong running time does nothing for the pace.
Even worse, there's something of the dreaded romantic sub-plot in this one, unusual for Cheh who was well known for avoiding having women in his films wherever possible. There are some familiar faces around though, most notably Tien Peng who enjoys something away from his typical stock villain performance. The trappings of the genre are fine and the film is a visual treat; as with most Shaw features you could happily watch it muted and still get nearly the full experience. Things pick up for a classic and bloody heroic bloodshed-style climax which piles on the action and makes up somewhat for the slower scenes earlier on. THE ASSASSIN isn't so much a classic as a vital stepping stone in the careers of all those involved; much greatness was to follow for all of the main players here.