Sha ren zhe Tang Zhan

The Assassin (1993) is one of the few Hong Kong movies to earn a category III rating just for it's shear brutality. Usually a CAT. III is awarded for excessive sex, nudity or violence but this one was earned for it's bloody carnage. Rosamund Kwan co-stars as the former love of Fengyi Zhang. Kwan and Zheng are two lovers who's love for each other is forbidden. When Zheng refuses to acknowledge this, he's imprisoned and brutally punished. While in prison, he becomes an assassin for an evil eunuch. Upon his release, he tutors an up and coming assassin (Max Mok). while under his wing, Mok slowly turns into something that Zheng could never be.

Highly recommended for H.K. Cinema fans. Be warned because this film is violent!!

Tong Po Ka, played by a young Zhang Feng Yi - star of Red Cliff 1&2, and The Emperor & The Assassin - tries escaping down-river with his lover, Rosamund Kwan of whom he has been accused of kidnapping. Chased by hundreds of men, they are caught and he is shipped off to a dark and violent prison where the red-eyed rats feed on the blood of men, and prisoners get their eyelids stitched closed in a graphically disturbing fashion.

There's a reason Billy Chung's epic The Assassin is a Category 3 movie, and in about 6 minutes of its running time, you start to see why!

A tale of forbidden love, and a fight for survival, this 1993 graphic swordplay, martial arts flick is not director Chung's first foray into Cat 3 territory having made the dark, Love To Kill. Beautifully shot with stunning cinematography from Zhao Fei (who also shot Warriors Of Heaven & Earth, Raise The red Lantern, and Let The Bullets Fly), the film just oozes that Hong Kong new-wave style of film-making with gorgeously lit night shots, smoke filled scenes, and great set-pieces...

The handsome Max Mok Siu Chung soon joins the story as another assassin for the band of killers, joining Zhang since his recruitment from prison. Not long after, we are treated to a decent attack on officials in a nearby town with some bloody action, enhanced with a little wire-fu by choreographers Stephen Tung Wei and Benz Kong To Hoi. While they don't bring anything spectacular to the screen, the fights still entertain and offer enough great moves and violence to keep fans happy!

At this stage, Zhang has become a ruthless killer, letting no man stand in his way and enjoying the smell of burning corpses at his feet. Both he and Mok bond together, often fighting side-by-side as more missions come along. Obviously, that isn't to last as Zhang finds Rosamund Kwan once again who is now married with a child, and defies his master to try and escape the killing life.

Thankfully, it also means escaping that dreadful wig!

Forced to fight his new friend to the death, Zhang must take on the Assassination Factory in a bid to get his life back and survive the violent world he now lives in. Thankfully, this results in a few more pretty sweet battles reminiscent of classics such as The Bride With White Hair, Blade Of Fury, and Burning Paradise. While flawed in many areas, The Assassin still entertains and offers plenty of bloody action in its short running time...

Overall: Like a violent Ashes Of Time, only a little more straight forward, The Assassin is pretty sweet and a forgotten classic of the Hong Kong new-wave era!

This film offers plenty: perfectly choreographed swordfights with dozens of men, a nice plot and gore. The fast-paced action sequences are well timed during the film so I have never been bored while watching the movie. Everyone who liked A Chinese Ghost Story should not hesitate and get this film. One last word to the gore hounds: Though there are lots of amputations, everything happens so fast that you hardly have time to watch it, but don't cry: there is a scene where a man gets his eyes sewn and it is shown very explicit. Overall this film is worth a 9/10.

Assassin should be considered another lightweight entry into the dark themed HK swordplay/action genre, like The Blade, Ashes of Time, and the excellent Burning Paradise. The film has a great premise- A country bumpkin and flower lover, Tong Po, falls in love with a girl (Rosamund Kwan) he is not allowed to marry. They try to run away together, but they are captured and he is thrown into a jail where his eyes are sewn shut. Next, his eyes are opened to find himself and some fellow prisoners in a gladiatorial ring where they must kill each other in order to survive, the last man standing gets to live and be trained as an executioner for a power corrupted eunuch. Tong Po wins of course, becomes an adept killing machine, is renamed Tong Chop, and given an apprentice who both idolizes and wants to replace him. During one nighttime raid, Tong sees Rosamund and his past starts creeping back on him, so he leaves the killing business and hides out with her in her village where she has remarried and has a son. But, his old life as a prominent killer is not easily left behind, and both his protégé and the powerful eunuch are out for his blood, leading to the bloody conclusion

It has a great story, pretty good cinematography, and the gore one comes to expect (the eunuch likes to tear his victims in two, and of course the swordplay involves many geysers of blood), but it suffers from poor production values and lack of a charismatic lead. The film has serious `fright wig' syndrome, with some laughable costumes and really bad, uneven, frizzy wigs on Tong Chop and his protégé. With a more substantial budget, design, and casting of a better lead this could have been a great film. It could definitely benefit from being remade.

I was impressed of Hong Kong Movies, this film is full of swordplay that will entertain you. Even when the emperor fought with his maidens and he ripped them apart one by one or the torture, when they used a needle to close his eyes and it was hard to watch. This film is great, well the problem is the acting. Max Mok acting was a bit silly but the others were fine. Do you know what bothers me about this movie, is when Rasmond screams like a cat front of his lover. Really, watch it with your family and besides, the movie that were nominated Oscar and Golden are all crap. Even the people have bad taste, don't listen to your grandma or grandpa. You have to choose and don't let anyone stop you. Watch it, its entertaining.