The Assassin

I. Introduction

The Assassin is loosely based on the late seventh-century martial arts story Nie Yinniang by Pei Xing, a core text in Chinese swordsmanship and wuxia fiction. It was directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien with stars such as Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Ni Da Hong, & more. The film premiered in Beijing on 23 August 2015, ahead of its nationwide release on 27 August 2015. For its American release, the film's distribution rights were acquired by independent distribution company Well Go USA Entertainment on 11 May 2015, and the film was released on 16 October 2015. It was an official selection in the main competition section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where Hou won the award for Best Director. It was also selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. The international film magazine Sight & Sound named it the best film of 2015.

The film received several subsidies from the Taiwanese government: in 2005 of NT$15 million (US$501,000), in 2008 of NT$80 million (US$2.67 million) and in 2010 of NT$20 million (US$668,000). As of September 2012, its budget was CN¥90 million (US$14.9 million). The film was filmed in several places in China, mainly in Hubei province, Inner Mongolia and north-eastern China.

II. Synopsis

A 10-year-old general's daughter Nie Yin Niang is handed over to 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 betrothed - a cousin who now leads the largest independent military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her memories and her long-repressed feelings. A slave to the orders of her mistress, Nie Yin Niang must choose: sacrifice the man she loves or break forever with the sacred way of the righteous assassins.

III. Cast

Pic	Name	Character
	Shu Qi	Nie Yin Niang
	Chang Chen	Tian Ji An
	Tsumabuki Satoshi	Mo Jing Shao Nian
	Ethan Juan	Xia Jing
	Ni Da Hong	Nie Feng
	Nikki Hsieh	Huji
	Zhou Yun	Lady Tian

IV. Trailer

V. Reception

The film earned CN¥61.385 million at the Chinese box office. Worldwide box office is around U.S. $12 million. The Assassin opened to critical acclaim, scoring 6.8 on Mydramalist &, 6.3 on IMDB. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 80% Certified Fresh rating, based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Metacritic reports an 80 out of 100 rating, based on 28 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Sight & Sound magazine ranked The Assassin as the best film of 2015 based on a poll of 168 critics from around the world. The Online Film Critics Society called the film the best foreign language film of 2015. It also ranked 50th in a 2016 BBC poll of the 21st century's greatest films.

VI. Awards & Nominations