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Reign of Assassins

A former member of the assassin group Dark Stone finds her peaceful married life in danger of being taken away from her when the group finally discovers her whereabouts. Drizzle, whose new name is Zeng Jing, not only has to fight for her husband's, Jiang Ah-sheng, safety but has to take up the sword one last time to confront her past and sever her connections with the group.

Dark Stone is looking for the remains of a Buddhist monk believed to make its possessor the most skillful in martial arts. At the beginning of the movie, Dark Stone members managed to get hold of one half of the remains by slaying Minister Zhang and his family. However Drizzle ran away with the remains and was pursued since then by the other members.

When she is finally located by Dark Stone, Drizzle agrees to help Cao Feng, the gang's leader, to get the other half of the remains from another group and to restore the other in her possession in exchange for her freedom and her husband's safety. It is not an easy deal and she barely escapes Cao Feng.

Her misfortune does not end there however when she finds out that the husband she's trying to protect also has secrets.


The sword fights were done well, but that's not the only great part about the movie. Drizzle's character and motivation were highlighted making it easier for the viewer to empathize with her need to start over. Moreover, Zeng Jing and Jiang Ah-sheng's romance added an excellent twist near the end of the movie. Her time with the monk Wisdom (after she ran away with the remains) might have started the path to change but her love for her husband strengthened that resolve.

Although it may seem absurd that a group of very skilled fighters would fight over a corpse, it will make sense when Cao Feng reveals his reasons --- which was probably why Drizzle ran away with it in the first place.


It is easy to appreciate Zeng Jing and Jiang Ah-sheng because their characters were established at the beginning of the story. Their romance is also endearing. Ah-sheng's revelations anticipates a tension-filled conclusion of their relationship. I watched it expecting great fight scenes but I enjoyed it more for the characters.

Rating: 10 out of 10

***
Cast:
Michelle Yeoh as Zeng Jing or Drizzle
Jung Woo-sung as Jiang Ah-sheng

Dark Stone members:
Wang Xueqi as Cao Feng
Barbie Hsu as Turquoise Leaf
Shawn Yue as Lei Bin
Leon Dai as the Magician

Directed by: Su Chao-pin and John Woo
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