Reign of Assassins (Jianyu Jianghu)

Martial Media, Culture and Other Arts Martial Media and Popular Culture
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The WWII project is Tai Ping. Not sure about the Chow Yun Fat project - it’s not Confucius, is it?

Woo, Yeoh set to collaborate on martial arts project
22 June, 2009 | By Screen staff

Michelle Yeoh is set to star in a martial arts film, Jianyu Jianghu, which will be co-directed by John Woo and Taiwanese director Su Chao-pin.

Woo will supervise and Su execute the direction of the film, which is scheduled to start shooting in China this September. The literal translation of the Chinese title is Rain Of Swords In The Martial Arts World.

Yeoh talked about the film yesterday on the closing day of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). Taipei-based Stellar Entertainment, a talent agency set up by Yeoh and Woo’s long-term producer Terence Chang, later confirmed the project and tentative title.

The story and financial backers of the project have not been disclosed, but Chang and Stellar’s Taipei-based managing director David Tang will be involved as producers.

Su, who previously directed Silk and scripted Chen Kuo-fu’s Double Vision, signed with Stellar earlier this year. The agency now represents all of Su’s script-writing and directorial projects.

Stellar previously co-produced Dirt, Rich In Shanghai with Hong Kong’s Mei Ah Entertainment, Sil-Metropole Organization and Taiwan’s Tosoa Entertainment. The romantic comedy will be released in Chinese-speaking territories in October.

Woo, who attended SIFF’s opening ceremony on June 13, also told local press that he had been preparing a martial arts film, a film set in World War II and a project in which he will collaborate with Chow Yun-fat.

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More on JJ

Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World is a great translation. :wink:

Yeoh making kung fu moves
Actress set to star in Su Chaopin’s romantic thriller
By Jonathan Landreth
Oct 18, 2009, 07:11 PM ET

BEIJING – Asian Bond Girl and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” lead Michelle Yeoh will soon star in a romantic kung fu thriller to start shooting in Shanghai on Oct. 30 with writer-director Su Chaopin (“Silk”), producer Terence Chang of Lion Rock Prods. told The Hollywood Reporter.

A $12 million co-production with Beijing Galloping Horse Prods., Media Asia of Hong Kong and two publicly traded Taiwan media companies, the tentatively titled “Jianyu Jianghu” can be described, Chang said, as " ‘Face/Off’ meets ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ set in the Ming Dynasty."

Chang will produce with his filmmaking partner, Hong Kong-based director John Woo. Hong Kong-based sales company Fortissimo will represent the film in the international marketplace.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to work again with John and Terence, who as producers have once again assembled a fantastic team – from the stellar cast, including Michelle Yeoh, to the director to the crew,” Fortissimo co-chairman Michael Werner said.

Galloping Horse, perhaps best known for the hit Chinese TV series “Three Kingdoms,” has put up half the financing for the film that is part of a first-look deal it has with Lion Rock for projects shooting in China.

In the film, whose tentative title loosely translates as “Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World,” Malaysian Chinese star Yeoh plays an assassin who falls in love with the son of a man whose father was killed by her gang. Unaware that he also is a trained martial artist, their love blossoms and then tensions rise as the past comes back to haunt them.

“Every actress in Asia wanted this lead role,” Chang said, noting that his friendship with Yeoh stretches back 30 years.

The project also is set to star Korean actor Jung Woo-Song (“The Good, the Bad, the Weird”) as the male lead, Chinese actor Wang Xueqi (“Forever Enthralled”) and popular Taiwanese singer and television actress Barbie Hsu, among others.

Director Su will begin shooting at the Shanghai Song Jiang Shen Qiang studio, move to the Hengdian World Studios outside the city, then over to Taiwan, where a quarter of the film will be made.

“Jianyu Jianghu” is set to be completed for a late-summer 2010 release.

Fortissimo picks up Michelle Yeoh martial arts thriller
19 October, 2009 | By Liz Shackleton

Fortissimo Films has picked up international rights to martial arts thriller Jianyu Jianghu (working title), starring Michelle Yeoh and produced by John Woo and Terence Chang’s Lion Rock Productions.

Taiwanese filmmaker Su Chao-pin (Double Vision) is directing the $12m film which starts shooting at the end of this month in Shanghai. Lion Rock is co-producing with Beijing Galloping Horse Productions, Hong Kong’s Media Asia and two as-yet-unnamed Taiwanese companies.

Yeoh will play a female assassin who retires after killing a monk she had fallen in love with, and marries an ordinary postman, hoping to lead a peaceful family life. But as the postman is actually the son of an official she might have killed, the past soon returns to haunt her.

Also set to star are Korean heartthrob Jung Woo-song (The Good, The Bad, The Weird), Chinese actor Wang Xueqi (Forever Enthralled), Hong Kong’s Shawn Yue and Kelly Lin and Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu. Behind-the-scenes talent includes DoP Arthur Wong and production designer Yang Beigui.

After shooting in Shanghai, production will move to nearby Hengdian World Studios and then across to Taiwan. Release is tentatively scheduled for late summer 2010.

Fortissimo and Lion Rock were originally planning to work together on John Woo’s historical epic 1949, but the project fell apart earlier this year due a dispute over script rights.

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American Film Market

This mentions a few films we’ve been discussing here: Shaolin, Little Big Soldier, Mulan…have we about Legend of Chen Zhen? I couldn’t find a thread…

Exhausted execs hit AFM
Busy Asians hitting market after Pusan, TIFFCOM
By Patrick Frater
Nov 3, 2009, 10:25 PM ET

HONG KONG – Asia’s film executives can be forgiven for arriving in Santa Monica a little exhausted, and it’s not just the 16-hour jetlag.

Many recently have trekked from Pusan to the Tokyo festival and market, and some even added a few days at last week’s China Film Group-organized Beijing Screenings. Despite that, most arriving at the American Film Market are expecting to do business.

Pusan and Tokyo’s TIFFCOM effectively were warm-up events before the main show, and both were better attended than last fall, when the severity of the global financial meltdown was making itself felt.

Since then, Asian economies have largely recovered, boxoffice has proved resilient and local and regional films have shown themselves capable of being financed and prebought within the region. Further intra-Asian business is definitely on the AFM agenda this week.

Still, Pusan and Tokyo essentially were regional events, whereas this week’s AFM is viewed as a global sales event. It is being attended by buyers from North and South America who did not attend the two Asian festivals, by a far more representative selection of European buyers and also by some of the cannier Asian buyers who realized that sellers would hold off on key deals until they had met with all their clients.

Also, Pusan and Tokyo have a stronger accent on art house and festival titles than AFM, which because of its English-language bias is a place for more mainstream commercial and genre fare.

Several leading Hong Kong sales companies and studios – including Fortissimo, Emperor and Universe – sent acquisitions staff to the other recent events but avoided taking sales booths. They now are at AFM with suites, packed schedules and sales on the mind.

“We are certainly expecting a busy time given that our meeting slots have largely been taken up,” Emperor CEO Albert Lee said. “We chose not to go to Pusan and Tokyo and now have a strong lineup for AFM.”

Indeed, several Asian sales companies have opted to unveil top new product at AFM rather than nearer to home:

– Korean giant CJ Entertainment is opening sales on the thriller “Secret” and crime drama “White Night” and also drumming up ongoing international interest for “Sophie’s Revenge,” a romantic comedy starring and produced by Zhang Ziyi, and market screenings for “Haeundae” its big-budget disaster movie now the No. 3 film all-time in Korea.

– Korean indie Mirovision is putting on a good show with a sales debut for “The Housemaid,” a love-triangle horror drama that is a remake of one of the best Korean movies of the 1960s.

– Hong Kong’s Distribution Workshop, which is fed by a film fund and its Cannes deal with Singapore’s Media Development Authority, has a powerhouse slate that includes the Jackie Chan starrer “Little Big Soldier,” a new live-action version of “Mulan” and the 3D shark actioner “Bait,” on which it shares sales duties with Arclight.

– Emperor also is in the Chinese action business with “Shaolin,” a production backed by the Shaolin temple of martial arts now in preproduction, and director Jiang Wen’s “Let the Bullets Fly,” which is now shooting.

– Media Asia is unwrapping “Legend of Chen Zhen,” a Donnie Yen- and Shu Qi-starring martial arts actioner directed by Andrew Lau (“Infernal Affairs”), and “Jianyu Jianghu,” a Mandarin-language action thriller that stars Michelle Yeoh and Korea’s Jang Sun-woo.

On the other side, Asian buyers are likely to remain picky. First, they are spoiled for choice with local and other Asian material playing strongly. But their business models have also been made more precarious by DVD markets that are shrinking or in come cases have been obliterated completely.

The weakest point in Asia remains Japan, where a string of indie distributors have collapsed and only Toei and the TV-backed groups seem to be making much money. Still, it is possible to secure sales in Japan with the right product, as Korea’s Fine Cut proved this week with the art house title “A Brand New Life.”

India also looks quieter after a flurry of buying activity last year. Not only has the wider Indian cinema economy’s bubble burst, but also new art house distributors have attained cruising speed after a phase of stocking up.

Still, Hong Kong could prove a bright spot for art house sellers as a new specialty movie channel continues its acquisition hunt.

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didnt make a thread about it yet but i did mention it in a thread along with the list of other donnie yen films. but thread coming up right now.

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awesome

A little link fu and I feel much better about this morning’s post. Thanks again, Doug!

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Rain & Assassins

Where have I heard Rain and Assassins before?

Wushu film about female assassin
By Xu Wei | 2009-11-10 |

JOHN Woo’s latest movie, now being filmed in Shanghai, is about a retired female assassin and gang leader in ancient times whose past catches up with her.

The US$12 million-budgeted film stars kung fu star Michelle Yeoh making her return to the martial arts epic genre after Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000).

The film “Jian Yu Jianghu” (“Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World”) is a joint directorial effort between Woo and young Taiwanese film maker Su Chao-pin, known for box-office hits “Silk” and “Twenty Something Taipei.” He wrote the script for “Rain.”

The film is to be released next summer.

Woo’s two-episode historical war epic “Red Cliff” has become the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Chinese film history, earning more than 500 million yuan (US$73.53) in box office on the Chinese mainland.

The Hollywood-based Hong Kong director says he aims to break stereotypes of martial arts films. Its cinematography will be very different, he says.

“When I read it three yeas ago, I was very excited,” Woo recalls. “It’s one of the best scripts I have ever seen. We decided to film it.”

Yeoh plays a retired female assassin and gang chief who falls in love with the son of a man whose father was killed by her gang.

“Traditional martial arts films used to simply assign good guy-bad guy labels to the characters,” the actress says.

“But in this film, we see complex personalities. The past really haunts the present. Everyone is trying to discover his true self and find balance in life again.”

The film aims for the global market and has a star-studded cast, including Chinese mainland actor Wang Xueqi, Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue, Taiwanese pop star Barbie Hsu and South Korean actor Jung Woo-song.

Costumes are created by Japanese designer Emi Wada, noted for the Oscar-winning creations in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran” and efforts behind the technicolor wardrobe of Zhang Yimou’s “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers.”

The martial arts film also features Woo’s daughter, Angeles, in a supporting role of a mysterious killer.

Angeles follows her father’s film path. In 2004, her directorial debut film “Coleridge’s Couch” was entered in the short film contest at the 61st Venice International Film Festival.

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never quite got the technical difference betweem Jianghu and WuLin.

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[QUOTE=TenTigers;969708]never quite got the technical difference betweem Jianghu and WuLin.[/QUOTE]
anyone care to comment on this??

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Reign of Assassins

I should change the title of this thread soon.

Here’s the new trailer: Reign of Assassins - Promo Trailer

TT: Jianghu literally means ‘river lake’ and it refers to itinerant martial artists that traveled the waterways of China. Wulin means ‘martial forest’ and it refers to the community of Chinese martial artists. Wulin is a bigger term - we are all wulin. Jianghu is a little more secular, a little more ‘street’ if you will.

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Gene, I was under the impression that Jianghu was actually more broad. It not only refers to martial artists, but also bandits, thieves, gangsters, and other sorts of outsider underworld elements as well as the yuxia of the Wulin.

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Hmm, good point

I was thinking that those dark society aspects of the jianghu would be included in the wulin and of the jianghu as the itinerant sector of the wulin, thus a subset, but that’s not quite right. Wulin does imply an attitude of chivalry, so I might concede your point.

Rivers, lakes, trees…:confused:

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I’m excited about seeing Michelle Yeoh again.

I want to have her babies…

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a romantic love story…

…with lots of fight scenes, I hope… :wink:

Publicity launched for “Reign of Assassins”
English.news.cn 2010-08-20 13:46:07

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) – John Woo’s new multi-million dollar martial arts film “Reign of Assassins” set up its official website on Thursday, August 19, and released posters of the twelve leading roles.

Director John Woo, actors Wang Xueqi, Shawn Yue, Leon Dai, Guo Xiaodong and Li Zonghan attended the press conference in Beijing. At the conference, director Woo said he would like to be Jing Ke, a famous assassin during the Warring States period, if he could be a historical martial arts figure.

The upcoming film, budgeted at 14 million dollars, stars Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-Sung, Wang Xueqi, Barbie Hsu, Shawn Yue, Kelly Lin, Leon Dai, Paw Hee-Ching, Pace Wu, Guo Xiaodong, Li Zonghan and Jiang Yiyan. The all-star film has popularly been called the “film without a supporting role.”

John Woo, praised for his ability to depict the friendship between men in his work, has decided to turn his attention on women. The director explained, "‘Reign of Assassins’ is not a film that simply focuses on kung-fu and hatred. In fact, it tells a romantic love story.‘’

However, all his actresses were absent from the conference. When the five main actors were asked about their collaboration with the actresses, , Dai summarized that Michelle Yeoh had strong and tender tempers in the same body, while Barbie Hsu was good at performing and very accurate.

In the posters, the twelve astrological horoscopes are used to describe each character. For instance, Michelle Yeoh, of course, is a Pisces girl, and actor Wang Xueqi belongs to Leo.

At the conference, the five actors were divided into two groups, a group of good guys and a group of bad guys, according to their characters in the film.

The three actors in the group of villains, Wang Xueqi, Leon Dai and Shawn Yue, described their combination as a cleaning company, which takes charge of killing aliens. They also showed off their own weapons, such as sword, double blades and a pair of long chopsticks.

The film will be released nationwide on September 28.

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Woo in Venice

Woo wins lifetime achievement award
Published: Sept. 3, 2010 at 3:50 PM

VENICE, Italy, Sept. 3 (UPI) – Chinese director John Woo earned the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award Friday at the Venice Film Festival.

Woo, whose martial arts epic “Reign of Assassins” premiered at the festival, told Variety he considers himself a bridge between China and Hollywood.

“From now on I want to make more movies to bring together the good things from the West, and the good things from the East,” he said.

“Reign of Assassins,” shot in China and set during the Ming Dynasty, stars Michelle Yeoh as an assassin who falls in love with the son of a man killed by her gang. It is Woo’s first film with a female protagonist.

The Weinstein Co. will release “Reign of Assassins” stateside.

“In China we had not had a film with a real female hero for a long, long time,” Woo told Variety. “Some people think martial arts movies are about men and about their friendships. But I think this is changing.”

Audiences today want movies, “even martial arts movies,” that make them think and feel, said Woo, whose titles include “Mission Impossible II,” “Face/Off” and “Hard Boiled.”

John Woo did not expect Venice honor
‘Jianyu’ helmer thought fest’s director was joking
By Eric J. Lyman
September 3, 2010, 03:48 PM ET

VENICE – Director John Woo became the first Chinese recipient of the Venice Film Festival’s honorary Golden Lion for career achievement Friday.

Woo, who co-directed “Jianyu” (Reign of Assassins), which premiered Friday on the Venice Lido out of competition, returned to China two years ago after directing Hollywood films for 16 years, including Broken Arrow," “Face/Off” and “Mission Impossible 2.” “Jianyu” is his third film since his return.

Venice artistic director Marco Mueller praised Woo in a press briefing before the award was officially presented.

“I don’t feel we are bestowing an honor here,” Mueller said. “The prize was simply there waiting for him.”

For his part, Woo said he did not expect such an honor.

“When Marco called me, my first reaction was shock,” Woo said. “Then I thought he might be joking. Then I felt emotional, and finally I was just grateful.”

The festival declared Friday was John Woo Day on the Lido.

The official ceremony took place in a packed Palazzo del Cinema, just ahead of the world premiere of “Jianyu,” which was co-directed by Chao-Bin Su.

The film, which is set in ancient China, tells the story of a female assassin trying to return the remains of a mystical monk to their rightful place. It stars Michelle Yeoh in the main role.

I love the notion of John Woo Day. If I had known, I would have donned a trenchcoat and shot a lot of people in slow motion with doves flying in the background. :cool:

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Chollywhood kicks ass in Venice

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen & Detective Deeand the Mystery of the Phantom Flame got good buzz there too. Chollywood risin...:wink:

Reign of Assassins brings Mr & Mrs Smith to China
By Deborah Young
Mon Sep 6, 2010 11:44pm EDT

VENICE (Hollywood Reporter) - “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” relocate to ancient China in the dazzling martial-arts epic “Reign of Assassins,” in which Asian superstars Michelle Yeoh and Jung Woo-Sung play an ordinary married couple, each unaware the spouse is a world-class assassin.

Replacing guns and bombs with flashing swordplay, aerial fighting and fantasy effects, the beautifully balanced story finds time for humor and a piercingly romantic finale. This lush visual treat should have no trouble finding kung fu audiences, with crossover potential to the Western art circuit. It bears the double direction of Taiwanese writer-director Su Chao-Pin (“Silk”) and genre master John Woo.

The delightful animated credit sequence that opens the film is a taste of fantasy to come. It is followed by an impossibly fast introduction to the film’s characters and backstory guaranteed to throw unprepared viewers into a panic. No fear, the large cast of villains – and they’re all bad in this movie – gets sorted out over the next two hours along with the incredibly convoluted story.

The main concept to grasp in the opening fight sequence, set in an ancient monastery before a giant statue of Buddha, is that the earthly remains of a mystical Indian monk have magical properties, able to grant control of the martial-arts world to their possessor. And the terrible Dark Stone gang wants them. Their most invincible and ruthless assassin is Drizzle (Kelly Lin), a beautiful girl who has been trained by the Dark Stone leader, the Wheel King. Having just killed an important minister, she also dispatches his son, Renfeng. All of this happens before the film begins, but it’s good to keep in mind.

Back to the ancient monastery, where Drizzle kills the man she loves, the monk Wisdom, rather than repent as he wishes. But his death so disturbs her that she decides to quit the gang.Ordering a surgeon to “make her look older,” she is transformed into Zeng Jing, played with her customary aplomb by Hong Kong’s kung fu queen Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). To cover her tracks, she rents a house in the city and opens a market stall selling cloth. There, she attracts the attention of a messenger boy, Ah-Sheng (Korean star Jung Woo-Sung in his first martial-arts role).

Their humorously told courtship, which ends in a happy marriage, is absorbing enough to forget that no fighting has taken place for a long time. Until one day, Zeng Jing and Ah-Sheng are in the bank when a sinister gang of black-robed robbers appears. Just as they are about to be run through with swords, Zeng Jing springs into action and saves their lives in a brilliant one-woman show.

Alas, her technique is recognizable a mile off, and the Wheel King knows Drizzle is back in town. He calls to him the three most terrible assassins in his gang – Lei Bin (Shawn Yue); the bratty girl murderer Turquoise (Barbie Hsu); and the Magician (Leon Dai) – to force her to hand over the monk’s remains. Little logic prevails over the final action sequences, which take place near the speed of light.

Just when Zeng Jing is overcome and all looks lost, her clumsy husband retrieves his rusty sword and reveals his true identity. His heroic transformation doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but it is an exhilarating moment that makes the last scenes exciting as well as touching, when the husband and wife open old wounds, fight each other and test their love and spirit of self-sacrifice.

The ending is moving and poetic, confirming the acting depths of the two principals, who are much more than martial-arts stars. Another nod goes to the character actors, who round out the film with unexpected humor. Like the cast, the top-grade technical staff comes from all over Asia.

Although the directing role of Woo, who produced with Lion Rock partner Terence Chang, is not that clear, it is easy to spot his oft-used theme of facial and identity changes (“Face/Off,” “Mission Impossible: 2”).

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Picked up by Fortissimo

Opens tomorrow in China. :wink:

Fortissimo slays buyers with Assassins
13 September, 2010 | By Wendy Mitchell

Fortissimo has announced several deals finished at TIFF for Reign of Assassins, co-directed and produced by John Woo.

California Filmes for Brazil and Madman for Australia and New Zealand with the film scheduled to hit theatres in China on Sept 28. The film has already sold to The Weinstein Company for North America and South Africa, Metropolitan for France, Wild Bunch for Germany, Lionsgate for the UK, United King for Israel, Lusomundo for Portugal, Film Depot for the CIS, Boogee Younghwa for Korea, Falcon for the Middle East, Umut for Turkey, Impuls for Switzerland, Vision for Poland and Discovery for the Former Yugoslavia.

The martial arts epic starring Michelle Yeoh had its world premiere at Venice and will next screen in Pusan.

Fortissimo Films Chairman Michael J. Werner said: “The fact that so many high profile distributors have acquired this movie underlines the confidence we had for the project and team behind it from the outset – we know this film will be loved by audiences across the world.”

The deals were negotiated by Fortissimo’s Werner, Winnie Lau and Nicole Mackey.

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Premiere!

“Reign of Assassins” premieres
English.news.cn 2010-09-28 10:51:43

BEIJING, Sept. 28 (Xinhuanet) – The highly-anticipated martial-arts saga “Reign of Assassins” (“Jian Yu”) premiered in Beijing on Sunday with its star-studded cast and crew in attendance.

John Woo, one of the best-known Chinese directors, has clarified his role in the film, saying he was its executive producer rather than its director as previously reported.

Woo spoke highly of the actual director, Su Chao-Bin, who also wrote the story. Su is known as the writer of Chen Kuo-Fu’s 2002 thriller, “Double Vision” (“Shuang Tong”).

“Reign of Assassins”, led by Michelle Yeoh and Jung Woo-Sung, tells a story similar to “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. Set in ancient China, a couple living in a peaceful town each come to realize that the other is a world-class assassin.

The stellar supporting cast also includes Shawn Yue, Barbie Hsu, Kelly Lin, Paw Hee-Ching, Pace Wu, Leon Dai, Wang Xueqi and Jiang Yiyan.

Critics who have previewed the film call it the best martial-arts epic since “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, Ang Lee’s 2000 Oscar-winning film which also stars Michelle Yeoh.

“Reign of Assassins” opens in Chinese theaters on September 28.


Sounds like Michelle has got her groove back.

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I started to read this review…

…but then I decided it was skirting SPOILER territory, which is always the lamest way to do a movie review, so I stopped reading it.

Assassins gives martial arts fresh face
English.news.cn 2010-09-29 09:43:12

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) – Born a decade after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, kungfu thriller Reign of Assassins - co-directed by John Woo and Su Chao-pin - ushers in a new era of the kungfu genre.

Almost all top Chinese directors joined in the wave of period martial arts dramas after Crouching Tiger won global plaudits, but few of the films reached the level of Assassins, which boasts a solid story, an original perspective on martial arts and amazing imagination.

Su, an IT engineer and writer, creates an engaging and solid tale with a science student’s logic and prudence.

Michelle Yeoh spearheads a stellar cast as legendary assassin Zeng, who gives up her past to lead a normal life. She undergoes facial surgery and marries a small-town messenger, but her peaceful domesticity is soon interrupted when her former guild finds she keeps a Buddha’s remains which have magical functions. What’s worse, her beloved husband seems not to be as innocent as he looks.

The story has an intriguing opening: After demonstrating her dazzling kungfu, surgeons transform Zeng’s face and she becomes a housewife. It will remind many of Face/Off.

More than 10 characters follow Zeng in front of the camera, each with his or her own traits and convincing motives, pushing forward the plot with their actions rather than lines.

The twist comes in the last third of the film - so dramatic that it could have made the film a joke, but thanks to the successful character-building before, it enhances the film instead, making it pleasantly funny.

The story is about jianghu, or the world of swordsmen. But everybody wants to leave that world, which is original in films of the genre.

Most martial arts stories focus on two things: The revenge for one’s father’s murder and the scramble for a powerful kungfu guidebook.

But in this film, the heroine wants to be a housewife, the biggest villain wants just a little bit more masculinity and an assassin loves cooking noodles better than killing people.

In addition, the film does not heavily rely on visual effects or bamboo-top fighting, instead, the action sequences are very down-to-earth.

Swordsmen are no longer superheroes flying here and there - they have little dreams as ordinary people. Woo says he chose the script and helped Su cast many A-listers because Assassins is an unusual martial arts story, the focus of which is not hatred or revenge but humanity.

Imaginative details are everywhere and impressive. A surgeon uses bugs to change one’s facial features; a reclusive assassin uses her sword techniques when cutting tofu; and a monk has a pair of iron chopsticks as his weapon.

A more stunning scene evolves when a magician uses “the fairy’s rope”. He throws the rope up to the sky and it just disappears, deep into the clouds. Then the man climbs along the rope and disappears. An arrogant young man wants to show his courage before his friends and follows the magician up the rope. He soon vanishes in the sky, but a moment later his friends find him sitting beside them, naked.

In the jaw-dropping climax, the real function of the Buddha’s mysterious remains is revealed.

The film has its flaws. It spends a bit too much time unfolding the romance between Zeng and her husband, and some lines sound funny when they are not supposed to be. But when many recent martial arts films can barely tell a complete story and are hyped only by lavish sets, Assassins stands out as entertaining and special.

The film premiered on Tuesday.

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Reigning Michelle

Michelle Yeoh returns to martial arts film genre
By MIN LEE (AP) – 5 hours ago

HONG KONG — A decade after “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Michelle Yeoh has returned to the martial arts genre with dramatic acting skills to match her formidable swordplay and fight moves.

The 48-year-old former Bond girl plays a retired assassin haunted by her past life in the kung fu thriller “Reign of Assassins,” which opens in Asia on Thursday. Producer John Woo crafted the role in the $14 million picture for his longtime friend when both Hong Kong transplants were developing their Hollywood careers in Los Angeles.

Yeoh has focused on her career in the West since the global success of “Crouching Tiger,” appearing in a range of works including “Memoirs of a Geisha,” the third installment of “The Mummy” franchise and Oscar winner Danny Boyle’s sci-fi thriller “Sunshine.” Many of these parts were dramatic roles.

The extended absence might have some fans wondering if the ballerina-turned-action star has lost her touch for the more physical screen performances she is known for in Asia.

A former Miss Malaysia, Yeoh parlayed her beauty pageant credentials into a full-fledged acting career in Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s, where she earned a reputation as a gritty daredevil who could hold her own against — and even outshine — the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li in complicated kung fu and stunt sequences. Hollywood came beckoning in 1997 with a costarring role alongside Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies.”

Yeoh told a news conference in Hong Kong recently that she, too, had initial doubts about the role, noting it required challenging swordplay that drew her close to her fellow actors.

“I was a little worried initially. I had not shot a kung fu movie since ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’ I put that skill set aside for a long time,” she said.

But her years of experience in action film quickly showed, especially when it came to fight sequences where the actors were suspended by wires.

“Your timing has to be very accurate. I’ve done a lot of wire work before. I can see that experience makes a big difference,” Yeoh said.

Woo, whose Lion Rock Productions made “Reign of Assassins,” said Yeoh’s action prowess has not waned. The veteran actress performed 90 percent of her own moves and stunts, he said.

“Her kung fu moves are still so clean, so powerful. She still has great rhythm. She still looks great,” Woo told The Associated Press. “Michelle Yeoh is the same.”

Director Su Chao-pin said he was impressed by Yeoh’s routine of waking up three hours before 7 a.m. shoots for stretching and running.

“Her level of fitness is the product of tremendous self-discipline,” Su told the AP.

Woo said he was also struck by Yeoh’s ability to tackle the emotional journey of her character, who’s determined to forge a new life as an unknown fabric seller with her new husband (South Korea’s Jung Woo-sung), only to be tracked down by accomplices from her past. Her husband, a courier, also harbors a secret identity.

“It’s completely different from her previous characters where she is an action star or plays someone who is a strong fighter. In this movie, not only does she fight well, she acts well too. She shows her real emotion,” the “Mission: Impossible II” director said.

Perhaps due to Yeoh’s growing international profile, Woo said “Reign of Assassins” has drawn more interest from distributors in Europe and North America than “Red Cliff,” his recent historical epic that marked his return to Chinese film.

“To be honest, I’m a little jealous,” Woo joked.

Once a Bond girl, always popular…

20

Reign is getting the best buzz

With Chollywood’s triumvirate of entries at the Venice film fest (this, Chen Zhen & Dee), I’m still reading a lot about RoA but the others seem to have faded. It’s got to be the Michelle factor plus the Woo factor.

John Woo: From bullets to blades
By Han Wei Chou | Posted: 06 October 2010 0811 hrs

SINGAPORE : Acclaimed Hong Kong director John Woo is very excited about his latest film “Reign of Assassins” (RoA).

You could tell by the sparkle in his eyes, and the way he leans forward whenever he talks about the film.

And he has good reason to.

“RoA” is Woo’s first Wuxia (martial arts chivalry) film.

Although Woo is the producer and co-director of “RoA” (Taiwan filmmaker Su Chao-Pin helms the movie), he said he really liked the film’s storyline because it broke away from tradition and featured “a strong focus on the female lead” as well as a moving “romantic slant”.

“RoA” revolves around the highly-skilled female assassin Drizzle (Michelle Yeoh) who tries to leave the gang of killer swordsmen called The Dark Stone.

Unfortunately, she comes into possession of a part of a mystical Buddhist monk’s remains and becomes hunted by her former compatriots, who seek the valuable secret hidden within it.

Drizzle later settles in a small town and falls in love with a young man (Jun Woo Sung), but even her new lover is hiding something.

Life Father, Like Daughter?

Of course, the other reason Woo took special interest in the film is that it also marks his daughter Angeles’ acting debut.

She plays a minor role as an assassin and has a few lines of dialogue, though her demise comes early in the film.

The director covered his face in embarrassment as Yeoh spilled the beans on how Woo was an incredibly protective father on set, during last week’s press event for the film in Singapore.

"When Angeles was on the wire [for a stunt], we saw her daddy walk up and down, walking around. He asked [the stunt crew], ‘Are you sure it’s safe? Did you try or not? How many times did you try?’

“And then suddenly we heard a loud noise and this one rushed over [to investigate],” said Yeoh pointing at Woo.

“‘Oh, it’s not Angeles,’ he muttered and walked away. He is so adorable!” the former Miss Malaysia added, throwing her head back in laughter.

“I think in the end, Angeles wanted to say ‘Daddy, can you please go home!’”

Woo may be a little embarrassed by his antics on the set, but he is very proud of his little girl, whom he explained took up the role to experience film-making from an actor’s perspective.

“She (Angeles) wanted to prove she could do it and challenged herself,” said Woo. “I think whatever she does now will benefit her in the future so I will surely support her.”

Woo actually started out wanting to be an actor before going into directing instead. So how does he rate his daughter’s acting?

“I am not a very good actor. I think too much and can’t focus. My daughter does it better,” said Woo with a chuckle.

A Better (Film) Tomorrow

Woo is well known as the Guru of Gunplay and have directed cult classics with massive shootouts and his signature white doves like “A Better Tomorrow” and “Face/Off”.

Some of his hardcore fans may be disappointed to find that Woo’s style is not very pronounced in “RoA”.

The 64-year-old explained that he “did not to interfere too much” in Su’s directing as it was still “ultimately Su’s creative decision”.

However, during the press conference, Woo expressed that “RoA” will probably not be his last Wuxia show.

“I am actually saving the best stuff for my own movie,” said Woo with a smile, “complete with grand scenes and white doves”.

“It will be a Wuxia film that is on a completely different level. A film that I can put my story into.”

In the meantime, Woo said he actually has a few projects on hand, such as a remake of the 1967 French film “Le Samourai” and the Chinese-American co-production “Flying Tigers”.

The latter is a film about 12 volunteer fighter pilots who fly sorties over China against invading Japanese forces during World War 2.

“There will be really fantastic aerial combat scenes,” gushed Woo, pointing out that he would be doing “things that were never done before” in the film.

“Reign of Assassins” opens islandwide on October 7.