I’ve written so much about Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s "The Assassin," that at this point, I don’t know what else to say. You should know by now it’s one of the most acclaimed films of the year so far, it picked up a Best Director win at Cannes, and it’s gunning for the Oscars as Taiwan’s entry to the race. If you want to be in the conversation about this movie, be sure to track it down on the big screen, because it’s on the way, and a new trailer is here.
READ MORE: Review: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s ‘The Assassin’ Is An Epic Visual Poem
The years-in-the-making film has Chang Chen and Shu Qi in the lead roles, in the evocatively told tale about an assassin, trained in exile, who is sent on a mission back to her hometown. Here’s the official synopsis:
9th Century China: 10-year-old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China.
After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings. A slave to the orders of her mistress, Nie Yinniang must choose: sacrifice the man she loves or break forever with the sacred way of the righteous assassins.
"The Assassin" opens on October 16th. Watch below.
