Dark Assassin (2006)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Director:

Jason Yee

Writer:

Jason Yee (writer)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

The El Mariachi school of filmmaking goes kung fu.

Plot:

After four years Derek Wu (Jason Yee) is released from prison. Hunting for a regular job he tries to redeem his life by living clean. Then, Derek's old gang buddies turn up murdered and the police make him the prime suspect. When his former crime boss finds out he's back in town, Derek becomes a marked man. Derek finds himself on the run as he is confronted by a dark past he cannot escape! In this homage to the legendary Bruce Lee and films of the 70's, martial arts champion Jason Yee serves up Kung-Fu action with attitude.

Cast

Jason Yee	...	Derek Wu
Thomas Braxton Jr.	...	Ray
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Conant	...	Prep
Gary Henoch	...	Mob Guy
Myquan Jackson	...	Arms Dealer
Cung Le	...	The Assassin
Yao Li	...	Buddha's Man
Doug Marsden	...	Det. Harris
Yuisa Perez	...	Gina
Tony Todd	...	Ghost
Jimmy Sing Yee	...	Old Tiger
Jennifer L. Yen	...	Kate

Also Known As:

Dark Warrior (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:82 min | Brazil:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Edge Of Darkness Productions

Trivia:

Filming started in April 2001, after three weeks of shooting and out of money, the film was 80% shot. The last 20% of the film was shot in pieces over two years as Director Jason Yee found the funds. The remaining post production was completed in 2005. The final edit was completed in 2006 to be distributed by HartSharp video.

More of a character drama with a 70's vibe, good for a low budget.

I rented this movie last night expecting a typical kung-fu film. I was happy to find it was much more of a character drama. The kung-fu action I was expecting was short but, straight to point, it left you wanting more, you could tell Jason Yee knew what he was doing as I found out later in the DVD extras he is a real kung-fu champion. The film has this cool 70's style vibe which made me feel like I was watching an old school classic. In one fight scene there is an excellent homage to the legendary Bruce Lee. Jason Yee really captured the dragon's fire in that scene. In the DVD extras is the making of 'Dark Assassin' which was cool to find out this film was made for $80,000. Wow! It made me respect the film much more as I expect all action films to cost millions of dollars. Jason Yee could be the next action star he really has what it takes. I can't wait to see his next film.