Reign of Assassins (2010)

Drizzle/Zeng Jing tries to start a new life after she had betrayed her gang and hid the remains of monk.

Directors:

Chao-Bin Su, John Woo (co-director)

Writer:

Chao-Bin Su

Stars:

Michelle Yeoh, Woo-sung Jung, Xueqi Wang

3 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Yeoh	...	Zeng Jing
Woo-sung Jung	...	Jiang Ah-sheng
Xueqi Wang	...	Cao Feng, The Wheel King
Barbie Hsu	...	Ye Zhanqing (Turquoise)
Shawn Yue	...	Lei Bin
Xiaodong Guo	...	Zhang Renfeng
Kelly Lin	...	Xi Yu
Yiyan Jiang	...	Tian Qingtong
Leon Dai	...	Lian Sheng, the Magician
Hee Ching Paw	...	Mrs. Cai
Matt Chung-tien Wu	...	Killer Bear (as Matt Wu)
Shih-Chieh King	...	Doctor Li
Pace Wu	...	Qing Jian (Kongdong Teal Sword)
Zonghan Li	...	Lu Zhu (Wisdom) (as Calvin Li)
Angeles Woo	...	Eater Bear

Storyline

Set in ancient China, Zeng Jing is a skilled assassin who finds herself in possession of a mystical Buddhist monk's remains. She begins a quest to return the remains to its rightful resting place, and thus places herself in mortal danger because a team of assassins is in a deadly pursuit to possess the remains which holds an ancient power-wielding secret.

---

Plot Keywords:

kung fu | assassin | martial arts | sword fight | wuxia | 

---

Taglines:

From John Woo - Director of 'Red Cliff' and the Star of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Heavy rains made production go over-schedule and a huge outdoor temple set had to be moved indoors to avoid further delays.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2010 (2010)

---

Soundtracks

Hua
Composed by Dingding Sa & Peng Bo
Lyrics by Salad Li & Dingding Sa
Performed by Dingding Sa & Tsing-Fong Wu

User Reviews

Everything a good wuxia can be.

Reign of Assassins is a delightfully well made wuxia movie which will offer those familiar with previous entries in the genre everything they would expect; from vibrant visuals to elegantly choreographed swordplay and the fair share of melodrama which has become an integral part of this genre. I won't dive into plot details because there aren't a whole lot of them for me spend here, the plot synopsis which is provided on this site and others should give any viewer a good idea about the movies proceedings.

Director Su Chao-Pin and veteran filmmaker John Woo exhibit considerable command when juggling the films tone between dramatic seriousness and lighthearted romance whilst ensuring smooth transitions between the two and creating an equilibrium between exposition and action with none overshadowing the other. Actress Michelle Yeoh remains as charismatic as ever while playing the lead role with confidence and effectiveness and contributes greatly to the movies more dramatic scenes.

Overall, fans and familiars of the genre are guaranteed a great time with Reign of Assassins, those who do not enjoy wuxias in general should steer clear of this one as well.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [China]

Country:

China Taiwan Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin English

Release Date:

28 September 2010 (China)

Also Known As:

The Swordswoman's World

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,388,204

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing Gallop Horse Film & TV Production, Media Asia Films, Zhejiang Dongyang Dragon Entertainment Venture Investment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1