Wednesday, July 29, 2015

NZIFF 2015: Film 11; THE ASSASSIN



Whats it about? A beautiful female assassin is sent by her master to kill her cousin (whom she was once betrothed to) as punishment for failing a recent assignment...

A major reason for my enthusiasm and enjoyment of film fest is the annual chance to see these works of art on the big screen, right where they belong. Anything smaller than that would  for me severely diminish the scale, you lose so much detail, the sense of grandeur is then completely underwhelming, to say the least. When it comes to Chinese movies, their Martial Arts and Historical dramas belong only on the big silver screen. Why? Because nobody does these genres better, the brilliant use of colour, costumes, and sets are unparalleled with their mastery of knowing exactly what these will look like once they're all combined together.

My only criticism, and this is purely down to my own failings, is that you can't watch a film like this with any lazy-ish intent. You are better served by paying strict attention to the story, and in particular, the relationship between the various characters. With any lapse in concentration, you will be scratching your head trying to figure out why certain events play out the way they do when the script and storyline, expertly written by the director, Taiwanese master filmmaker Hou Hsaio-hsien, consistently compliments the visual magnificence on display.

"The Assassin" is a glorious, colour-saturated work of art that glistens like a freshly painted canvas, bathing us in rivers of unrivaled luminescence, see it on the big screen if at all possible.


1 comment:

Manni M3 said...

Just saw this last night. LOVED IT! So beautiful! I agree with everything in your review. Glad I found you today!