imperfection is perfection
Sporadic film reviews by a wanna-be filmmaker
AFF: THE ASSASSIN [2015]
If I were to choose a favourite film of the Adelaide Film Festival, it would have to be The Lobster, which worked for me on multiple levels. But, a close second is definitely this visual masterpiece, a film that needs to be seen to be believed and sent many at Cannes Film Festival into a frenzy. If I was there, I would have been one of them
Originally written for:
Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Written by Cheng Ah (screenplay), Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Xing Pei (short story)
Starring: Qi Shu, Chen Chang, Satoshi Tsumabuki
The Assassin is a unique movie; it takes the sweeping martial arts story and combines it with the visual majesty of art-house cinema. This creates a meditative story that surely disappointed a majority of the crowd who had gathered for the screening. In fact, this movie was so popular the line for it stretched outside the lobby! I was surprised at such interest in a foreign film, though something tells me that many of these people were looking forward to a Taiwanese version of The Raid or Ong Bak. In fact, while waiting I heard a lot of people expecting blood and decapitations. Needless to say, these patrons’ expectations were not met.
The story is very simple; based in the 9th century, in the Tang dynasty, we meet an abducted young woman, trained to be an assassin and tasked with killing a close friend. Certainly no points for originality there, but this film is not about story. It is all about the extremely long takes and detailed cinematography that present a tasty treat for the eyes.
At Cannes, this film was said to “send critics in search of new superlatives” as it took the Best Director prize. With the help of Mark Lee Ping-Bing as DOP, it isn’t hard to see why this film was chosen. I feel like I have seen an entirely new form of cinema; Jauja or Under The Skin could be apt modern comparisons, but apart from long takes, these two films share nothing in common with The Assassin, in which every shot is prepared with painstaking detail. This film truly plays out like a painting that has been printed onto a spool of film.
Each and every part of the set is treated as a character, so the story takes a back-seat. The cinematography begins with black and white sequences, which are shot as silhouettes and the darkness of trees contrast against the brightness of the sky. The camera techniques could perhaps be compared to Kubrick in their purpose and technical prowess; there isn’t a scene that doesn’t look like something that could be framed and mounted.
I won’t pretend to know much about the subject of the Tang dynasty as I am no scholar, but what I can report is that the make-up and costumes are incredibly realised and realistic. If I hadn’t known better I’d have thought I was watching something straight from the 9th century; the camerawork and set design is that astounding. Now, much like those at Cannes, I find myself struggling to find the appropriate adjective to describe just how amazing this film looks!
Where’s the thesaurus?
While I was watching I’ll freely admit that I had no idea what was happening within the story. The beauty of the film almost renders plot and characters meaningless, as it presents image after image for us to simply gaze at in astonishment.
Another interesting note regarding this film is the restraint on the actors’ behalf. Being a trained killer, the assassin’s face shows no trace of emotion, nor does her target. When she does strike the fight scenes flow seamlessly, and there are a few important reasons for why this is.
Firstly, the crew reportedly filmed these scenes over and over, to the point where they were battered and bruised, moving using muscle memory, which gives us the smoothness of the combat. Second, a direct effort was made to use only Chinese martial arts, a move that further separates this film from its peers. And thirdly and perhaps most importantly, these scenes are well shot.
Too often when watching a Hollywood film, once two characters get into some fisticuffs the camera starts flailing around the place, with at least one different take per second. This has always confused me as it makes it very hard to follow a fight, who is winning, or even who is who. Here, there is no unstable camerawork to be found, as the combat is captured with the same tenacity and skill as the rest of this striking film.
The Assassin is certainly not a film for everyone. The story isn’t so important and neither is anything like character arcs or development. This is a film to calmly absorb while waiting for the assassin to appear; a moving painting to admire for a couple of hours. Those expecting The Raid 3 will be very, very disappointed. Those who like art-house films, with an eye for good photography, will be praising this film for some time.
Click here for an A-Z index of the movies I have written about. Click here for more foreign films
23 Comments on “AFF: THE ASSASSIN [2015]”
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imperfection is perfection 
Sounds like a beautiful movie Jordan. Sadly we have to wait until January for it here in the UK 😦
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Bummer, heh I dunno if it will come out here at all! I was just very very lucky to see it as part of the festival.
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Excellent, glad to read more positive words on this. I’ll definitely be catching it when it comes out. I recently watched The Grandmaster and it sounds vaguely similar, in the sense that (a) it centres around martial arts (b) it looked fantastic and (c) I didn’t really have much idea about what was going on at times. But anyway, good read mate, I look forward to checking this out. I read your reviews of The Club and Cartel Land the other day too…really have to see those myself!!!
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Yeah I was really lucky that this was a part of the festival, it was incredible on an IMAX screen!! I’ve been meaning to watch the Grandmaster for some time, I’ll have to get around to that. And yeah, The Club and Cartel Land are two heavy, heavy films
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‘Heavy’ is my middle name!
Actually it isn’t. It’s Philip.
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Hahaha!! But yeah I enjoy heavy films too, and both of those are very confronting
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Good job on the review Jordan. I cannot wait to see this film!
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Its incredible man, see it on a big screen if you can!!
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Excellent work Jordan. First I’ve heard of this and it certainly sounds like something worth checking out!
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Yeah apparently people went nuts over it at Cannes, and it was a sold out crowd when it screened during the festival. I have no idea when it hits theaters though =/ Keep an eye out though!
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Nice review man. I saw this at Sydney Film Fest this year and liked it a lot. Bloody beautiful film.
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Indeed it was. Almost hard to describe how good it looked on a giant IMAX screen. Incredible stuff
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Great review Jordan! It seems like this film is visually beautiful, kind of like The House of Flying Dagger. I’m not really into martial arts films but I’m curious about this one, glad you give this high marks, now I’m even more keen in seeing this.
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I’ve not seen House of the Flying Dagger, what is that like?
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Oh it’s a martial arts drama by Ziyi Zhang, it’s got a love story but also some of the most beautiful fight scenes! I think you should give it a shot, Jordan.
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Sounds like the kinda thing i’d like. Its going on The List 😀 Thanks for the rec
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Great review. I didn’t get to see it but it’s definitely on my list and I can’t wait to have something to add to the conversation!
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I hope you like it when you get to see it! I got to see it on a massive IMAX screen and it was just stunning. Unforgettable experience
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I am so happy to see that you liked it! This is without a doubt one of my favourite films from this year, it’s pure poetry. As you beautifully put it: “The beauty of the film almost renders plot and characters meaningless, as it presents image after image for us to simply gaze at in astonishment.” I couldn’t agree more.
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Thanks a lot! Yeah I agree, this one is up there in the top three for best films of the year for me. Incredible watching it on an IMAX screen too 😛
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