The Assassin

The Assassin

  • Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou
  • Writer: Cheng Ah,T'ien-wen Chu,Hsiao-Hsien Hou
  • Countries of origin: Taiwan, Hong Kong, China
  • Language: Mandarin
  • Release date: August 27, 2015
  • Sound mix: Dolby Digital
  • Aspect ratio: 1.37 : 1
  • Also known as: Thích Khách Nhiếp Ẩn Nương
  • "The Assassin" is a literary and artistic martial arts film about ancient costumes, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring Fanny Shu , Zhang zhen , Tsumabuki Satoshi , Ethan Juan, etc. The film was released in mainland China on August 27, 2015   .
    The film is based on the story of " Nie Yinniang " in Pei Chong's collection of short stories " Legend ". It tells the story of Nie Yinniang who was kidnapped by an aunt when she was young, and was sent back to a legendary heroine with superb skills 13 years later . 
    In 2015, the film was shortlisted for the 68th Cannes International Film Festival Palme d’Or   , Hou Hsiao-hsien won the Director’s Award for the   film; then the film won the 52nd Golden Horse Awards for Best Feature Film and 35th Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Cross-Strait Chinese Film Award   .

    Details

    • Release date August 27, 2015
    • Filming locations Kyoto, Japan
    • Production companies SpotFilms, Central Motion Pictures, Sil-Metropole Organisation

    Box office

    Budget

    $15,000,000 (estimated)

    Gross US & Canada

    $632,542

    Opening weekend US & Canada

    $47,892

    Gross worldwide

    $11,991,669

    Movie reviews

     ( 94 ) Add reviews

    • By Brain 2022-06-09 10:03:00

      Questions about "Assassin Nie Yinniang"

      The 2nd screening day of the main competition unit of the 16th #Faro IslandFilm Festival# brings you "Assassin Nie Yinniang", please see the evaluation of the independent world of the frontline assassins below!

      By Margot 2022-04-23 07:04:01

      Pretending to be forced, still being beaten in the face

      I haven't read the original book or watched Hou Hsiao-hsien, so I can put aside my feelings and only talk about my ideas from the perspective of an independent film critic.
      First of all, let’s talk about the core of the movie, that is, to communicate with the audience, which is relatively poor. After all, the story is not fully told, and the director himself has deleted a lot of valuable plot supplements. The 107-minute film length alone is not enough. Difficult to move. As a director, do...

    • By Freda 2022-04-23 07:04:01

      Nie Yinniang's plight



             Hou Hsiao-hsien is so bold        to talk nonsense . Generally speaking, his personal style is an objective display of real life, the shaping of sound and picture space, and the non-linear "life flow" narrative are the most recognizable labels of his films, creating a strong sense of experience. The time and space are the biggest feature of his works. But in the Tang Dynasty as early as a thousand years ago, the audience and the director's cognition of that time and...

    • By Winifred 2022-04-23 07:04:01

      Yinniang is also a mortal-comment on "Assassin Nie Yinniang"

      "Assassin Nie Yinniang" is about a living state, the living state of people in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, great efforts have been made in the construction of Fuhua Dao, in order to let the actors enter the state and let the audience experience the state. Many of the lamps in the play are copied from the archaeological relics of the Han Dynasty, as are the incense burners, as well as various wine vessels and pots, all of which have their origins. The silk and linen clothes of the characters...

    • By Emiliano 2022-04-23 07:04:01

      Just wait for others to come in

      After this weekend, "Nie Yinniang" was pushed to the forefront of the topic. It is not uncommon to have differences in the viewing experience, but it is also a minority in the movie theater, and it is rare for a movie to be so exaggerated that the audience leaves in the middle.

      This movie is really embarrassing. The Xuanfa team is very embarrassed. Hou's style is high and low, and if they want to pull the box office, they can only use "winning", "martial arts", "female assassin" and...

    User comments

      ( 76 ) Add comments

    • By Sarai 2023-07-23 12:33:23

      Mainly because I can't see anything new. The strangeness of the Tang Dynasty was made into a realistic palace fighting drama. "Sorrowful City" uses local dialects with sincerity and sincerity, and Tang Dynasty stories use classical Chinese dialogues and opera performances. The buildings are all Japanese-style, with dry bars and moss logs, and Japanese-style Chinese-style and bronze utensils are mixed, plus the music of the African primitive tribal style made by the French, the whole is a...

    • By Isac 2023-07-22 07:04:01

      It is not the best as imagined, nor is it comprehensively innovative. Taking his own works as a reference, I personally think the closest one should be "Coffee Time". But the release of Hou Hsiao-hsien in mainland theaters is still of great significance. It will never be able to please most people, but for some young people who love movies, if such a window is opened sooner, it may be sooner. Suddenly, I found out that there is such a sky one...

    • By Rahsaan 2023-07-04 08:16:36

      Jingmei, the soundtrack, art, and costumes (although most of them are of Song and Ming styles, but they are close to regular Hanfu) are good. The script is not as good as the original, and the director didn't want to shoot Tang Legend's temperament, but just wanted to shoot his own "artistic film". The rhythm is deliberately slowed down, the form is greater than the content, and the original good story is wasted. In terms of action, if you feel that the so-called "realistic" fighting in the...

    • By Vickie 2023-06-29 06:12:20

      Shu Qi's expression of forbearance and subtle changes, the figure hiding behind the veil and the expressionless figure, as well as the phrase "seven injustices for me" made me cry. Everyone is lonely, and like Qingluan, he can only treat the other self in the mirror as the same kind. In the end, the cheerful figure of the cheerful mirror-wearing boy and the faintly visible smile of Yin Niang from afar were really nice. Lin Qiang's soundtrack is...

    • By Eleonore 2023-05-30 04:54:51

      Ah, it's been months since I watched The Godfather last time I've been in a movie theater with a heart beating like it's about to fall out. I really feel sad, everyone lives in their own cages, not only human relations but also bound by themselves, so loneliness seems to be unsolvable. Like the movie itself. In fact, after watching it, I didn't feel the kind of adoration I imagined, but I was very sad, and the picture seemed to become the emotion...

    Movie plot

    Nie Yinniang ( played by Fanny Shu ) is the daughter of Nie Feng, a general of Wei Bofan town. She was taken away by an aunt at the age of 10 and trained as a martial arts assassin. She returned home 13 years later and was ordered by her teacher to take her childhood sweetheart. The life of cousin Wei Bo, lord Tian Ji'an ( Zhang zhen ) . At the time of the Anshi Rebellion, the towns were divided and the people were not living, Master...
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    Behind the scenes gags

    "Nie Yinniang" was filmed in mainland China, Taiwan, and Japan, and was filmed in a closed mode. The media hardly captured the slightest bit of news about the filming.
    Hou Hsiao-hsien announced the filming plan at the Busan Film Festival in 2007. Until the filming started in 2012, funds were often lost, the actors were changed several times, and there were even rumors of downtime after the filming started. 
    In the film, there are actors...
    more about The Assassin Behind the scenes gags

    Evaluation action

    "The Assassin" focuses more on visuals. Whether it is the home furnishings of the noble ministers in the interior or the natural scenery of the field, the film visually presents a visual world of the ancient Tang Dynasty in two completely different styles. The film was filmed in Shennongjia, Wudang Mountains, Inner Mongolia and other places. The natural scenery of various places also makes this film more visually perfect. It is a shot...
    more about The Assassin Evaluation action

    Movie quotes

    • Xia Jing: [subtitled version] The way of the sword is pitiless. Saintly virtues play no part in it.