Nguyen Vu is the sole survivor of his family who was executed by the empress of Vietnam. Upon discovering that his family may have been framed for crimes they did not commit, he sets out to ... Read allNguyen Vu is the sole survivor of his family who was executed by the empress of Vietnam. Upon discovering that his family may have been framed for crimes they did not commit, he sets out to bring justice and clear his family name.Nguyen Vu is the sole survivor of his family who was executed by the empress of Vietnam. Upon discovering that his family may have been framed for crimes they did not commit, he sets out to bring justice and clear his family name.
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
Sinh Manh
- Su Tru Tri
- (as Manh Sinh)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Sword of the Assassin (2012) is Vietnamese first wuxia movie based on the novel "Nguyen Trai-The Blood Letter volume (2) from author Bui Thanh Tuan that heavily inspired by the famous case of Le Chi Vien from the Le dynasty that set in an alternate timeline where we follow Nguyen Vu a made up descendant of the great scholar Nguyen Trai on his way to clear his family name. The reason why I want everyone to know that this movie based on a novel is because a lot of people said that this movie is just another copycat of every Wuxia movies ever existed and even worse plagiarism. Yes, the characters are generic and from the wire-fu fight scenes, anyone with the right head will know that this movie a pretty by the book Wuxia movie but there nothing wrong with pay homage to a genre that universally loved by anyone unless they claim their movie to be totally original. I enjoy this movie for what it is because from the technical standpoint the movie looks very impressive for a Vietnamese movie at that time and I would love to see more Vietnamese Wuxia movie in the future
At first, this film is not well-acted without any painstaking effort from the producer or the director (Victor Vu). In this film, for his sake, Nguyen Vu decided to move out where he was brought up and came to the town to find out the truth. However, when the secrets were clarified, he easily refused to revenge who dared to kill all of his family. It was so ridiculous and rigid. this context should be somehow ambivalent which will either deliver a painful bane to innocent people or bring a elated boon when finally killing "demons". Moreover, film background was not definitely impressive. Not like a Chinese drama, a city would be crowded of people and shops, but in this film, it is poorly not. But it is just one of the vanguards in making history film in Vietnam, it should not be discouraged.
... because the story is very bad. I mean, it starts out fine, but the characters are basically every other wuxia movie cliché, and then at the end the story devolves altogether into one hot mess and badly done CGI soup. Accusations of plagiarism aside, this movie is just not good at all.
The plot of "Thien Menh Anh Hung" is pretty much banal. I feel like each moment of the film reminds me of something I've seen in the past. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. What bothers me the most is that the film adopts too many features of Chinese martial arts movies, to such an extent that it really becomes a cliché. Victor Vu definitely didn't spend enough time and effort on developing a unique style and plot for his blockbuster.
The beautiful cinematography somehow makes up for the film's lack of originality. It does a great job of portraying beautiful scenery in Vietnam, and adds a great deal to the success of the film.
The beautiful cinematography somehow makes up for the film's lack of originality. It does a great job of portraying beautiful scenery in Vietnam, and adds a great deal to the success of the film.
How do you review a Martial Arts movie?
Essentially TMAH can be categorized as the first Vietnamese production to attempt a full-scale historical martial arts story.
And what is really enticing about historical martial arts stories? 1. Epic landscapes, historical beauty and dramatic costumes 2. Riveting Moralistic Story-plot of betrayal, revenge, love, justice, friendship, power and greed 3. Captivating sword and martial arts choreography and effects 4. Mesmerizing heroes and devastatingly evil villains
You could review it against the many successful mega-epic historically accurate and mesmerizing productions from the best of the world, or you could review it from the scope of what it achieved within the budget, storyline, execution and for the market it was made for.
I choose the latter.
Okay, so TMAH is not 'Ang Lee' beautiful or deep in its plot twists nor even as epic as many world-class mega-million dollar sword flick or martial arts productions out of Hong Kong, China, Korea or even Thailand studios of today. But, we have to keep in mind that Vietnam's post-war movie industry is still in its infancy. And for that it is simply inspiring!
And while I agree that the characters could have more depth in their acting, the landscapes and costumes could have had less of a Chinese influence, the plot could have been less expected, the heroes and villains expanded further plus the execution of the choreography more refined; the crux is TMAH is still a great watch simply because it had enough of all the elements to make it a great first foray.
All the leading and supporting characters give a good account of themselves without overacting, especially first time leading lady - Midu, who gave an impeccable performance as a young strong willed, sometimes temperamental but lovable sister seeking justice!
Even the extras look fully committed to their world. When the scenic shots hit the mark, they really are stunning. And there is enough creativity in the action choreography to leave you impressed. The effects could have been more polished but the music and sound effects unlike even some great epics, are beautiful and crisp. I am especially drawn to the double arrowed flying assassins!
Ultimately, is there room to improve? Definitely. But more importantly I sum up the entire movie as an epic milestone for Vietnamese film-making...and best of all, it can only get bigger, richer and better from here on.
Essentially TMAH can be categorized as the first Vietnamese production to attempt a full-scale historical martial arts story.
And what is really enticing about historical martial arts stories? 1. Epic landscapes, historical beauty and dramatic costumes 2. Riveting Moralistic Story-plot of betrayal, revenge, love, justice, friendship, power and greed 3. Captivating sword and martial arts choreography and effects 4. Mesmerizing heroes and devastatingly evil villains
You could review it against the many successful mega-epic historically accurate and mesmerizing productions from the best of the world, or you could review it from the scope of what it achieved within the budget, storyline, execution and for the market it was made for.
I choose the latter.
Okay, so TMAH is not 'Ang Lee' beautiful or deep in its plot twists nor even as epic as many world-class mega-million dollar sword flick or martial arts productions out of Hong Kong, China, Korea or even Thailand studios of today. But, we have to keep in mind that Vietnam's post-war movie industry is still in its infancy. And for that it is simply inspiring!
And while I agree that the characters could have more depth in their acting, the landscapes and costumes could have had less of a Chinese influence, the plot could have been less expected, the heroes and villains expanded further plus the execution of the choreography more refined; the crux is TMAH is still a great watch simply because it had enough of all the elements to make it a great first foray.
All the leading and supporting characters give a good account of themselves without overacting, especially first time leading lady - Midu, who gave an impeccable performance as a young strong willed, sometimes temperamental but lovable sister seeking justice!
Even the extras look fully committed to their world. When the scenic shots hit the mark, they really are stunning. And there is enough creativity in the action choreography to leave you impressed. The effects could have been more polished but the music and sound effects unlike even some great epics, are beautiful and crisp. I am especially drawn to the double arrowed flying assassins!
Ultimately, is there room to improve? Definitely. But more importantly I sum up the entire movie as an epic milestone for Vietnamese film-making...and best of all, it can only get bigger, richer and better from here on.
Did you know
- Crazy credits"And some other actors." - Listed at the end of the credits.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Sword of the Assassin
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 43m(103 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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