Η Σιωπηλή Δολοφόνος

cinemacl🎃wn1.0

There is no denying that The Assassin is one of the most beautiful-looking films out there, for every frame of it qualifies as a masterwork of breathtaking photography. But there is also no refuting the fact that it is an insufferably boring film, for just being able to sit through this snail-paced arthouse endeavour is an achievement in itself.Set in 8th century China during the Tang Dynasty, the story follows Nie Yinniang, an exceptionally skilled assassin who was raised by a nun from an early age and kills on her command. But when she fails to perform her duties on one occasion, she is tasked with a ruthless mission that requires her to kill the man she was once betrothed to.Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, The Assassin may give the impression of a martial arts actioner but in actuality, it is more a period piece than anything else. Hou's direction is impressive when it comes to staging the shots, shooting the locations & capturing every image in an aesthetic, artistic & intimate manner but as far as story goes, this is cinema on a standstill.The plot relies on minimal dialogues and is visually narrated. And though there is nothing wrong with that method, the immensely slow pace at which its events unfold is going to infuriate many. Nothing happens in the picture for the most part as camera simply pans from one end to another and whatever little action does exist, it's all very short-lived & scattered all over.On the technical scale, The Assassin is virtually faultless. Throughout its runtime, the images retain their sharpness, clarity & piercing quality. Cinematography is surely a highlight, for each scene is expertly staged, beautifully shot & the colour composition is wonderful. The camera may appear static but it's almost always on the move, the lighting is ideal, and I've got nothing but praise for this particular aspect.Even the costumes, make-up & production design exhibit a meticulous amount of research that went into the period it tries to bring alive on screen. Coming to the performances, the only one worthy of mention is Shu Qi who plays the eponymous figure in an incredibly calm, composed & balanced manner and manages to express her character's inner turmoil really well while the rest of the cast simply tags along.On an overall scale, The Assassin may deserve full marks for its mind-blowing cinematography alone but the stillness of its plot, lack of action, painfully lethargic pace and lifeless characters turn it into an excruciating viewing experience. While I'm sure that there's an audience for this type of storytelling, I'm equally certain that I'm not one of them. All in all, it is difficult to not fall in love with its imagery but the sleep-inducing narration that goes on for eternity ultimately destroys it for me.

I.V.4.0

Simply gorgeous. Takes wuxia, the most over-played genre in Chinese film, and makes it seem completely alien without subverting any of its gestures or values.

Sean Gilman5.0

Rewatch confirms that what i thought was the plot the first time around actually is the plot. Only thing that isn't more or less explicitly stated is the identity of the masked woman. Hou explains in this interview in Film Comment:"The character’s name is Jing Jing’er. She and Kong Kong’er, the wizard with the white beard, were kung fu masters in the original story. But Jing and the wife were two different characters in the story. In the film, I wanted to show the fact that the Yuan family married their daughter to the Tian family in order to seize power in Weibo, so the wife was actually a matchless assassin too. Only when something happened, when she felt any threat, she would put on her mask and become an assassin. So in the film, the wife is the lady assassin. Actually, Tian knew about this, too—just nobody talked about it."He also says this in response to the suggestion that audiences don't quite get the story:"That’s normal, and it can’t be helped. Hollywood-style films are popular all around the world nowadays, and they need a strict story structure. If the story is not told that way, not continuous enough, the audience will have difficulty following along. But that’s only one of the many ways of telling a story: there are hugely different ways of filmmaking in world cinema. Only because of the huge impact of Hollywood, young people want to imitate that style. Actually, almost all filmmakers want to imitate the style of Hollywood. But I don’t see it that way. A good film is when you continue your imagination [of it] after seeing it."