--- title: "The Assassin" year: 2015 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-assassin" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 24 published: "2026-09-17T12:38:08.955291+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T12:38:30.731793+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Assassin (2015) Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien · 1h 45m · MPA NR · Action, Adventure, History **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 77 from 24 reviews *In a sentence:* An assassin who mostly decides not to, in a film that would rather watch the curtains move > Hou Hsiao-hsien makes a martial arts film with almost no martial arts in it: a ninth-century revenge story told in candlelight, mist and silence. The plot is hard to follow. We did not mind. ## Synopsis Ninth-century China, under a Tang court losing its grip on the provinces. Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi), taken from her family as a child and trained to kill by a Taoist nun (Sheu Fang-Yi), returns from a mission having spared a target because he was holding his small son. Her mistress judges her heart too soft and sends her home to Weibo, a frontier province run by its military governor Tian Ji’an (Chang Chen), her cousin, to whom she was once promised. Her orders are to kill him. She moves through his household unseen, watching him with his wife Lady Tian Yuan (Zhou Yun) and his pregnant concubine Huji (Nikki Hsieh), while her father Nie Feng (Ni Dahong) tries to make sense of the daughter who has come back. ## Review Hou Hsiao-hsien has spent a career filming people in rooms, waiting. *The Assassin* is his martial arts film, and he has made the genre wait too. It is set in ninth-century Weibo, a province slipping from the Tang court’s grip, and its story is the form’s oldest: a trained killer sent home to murder the man she was once meant to marry. It is among the handsomest films we have seen in years, and for long stretches we could not have told you what was happening. We recommend it warmly, with that caveat attached. Mark Lee Ping-Bing shoots the opening from a distance. Yinniang kills a man on horseback with a single stroke and is gone before the body has finished falling. Then she crouches in the rafters above a governor playing with his son, and does not do it. Lee sits the camera far back from the governor’s hall and lets silk curtains blow across the lens, so half of every conversation is seen through a veil with a wind in it. Outdoors he waits on lakes, birch woods and mountains half lost in cloud. Huang Wen-ying designed both sets and clothes, which is why they agree. Shu Qi spends the film in the same dark tunic, so that in a lit room she is a gap in it. Lim Giong’s score is mostly a drum struck at long intervals; the rest is birds, wind and floorboards. A woman plays a zither and tells a story about a bluebird that danced itself to death before a mirror, and it moved us more than a story about a bird had any right to. It was the framing that did it: Sheu Fang-Yi held dead centre, the instrument, the fingers, and no cut for what felt like minutes. Shu Qi says perhaps thirty lines. She plays Yinniang as someone trained out of wanting anything who is finding, uncomfortably, that something is still there; you see it in how long she watches before she decides. Chang Chen gives Tian Ji’an a nervous vanity, a man who shouts at his court and goes quiet with his concubine. Satoshi Tsumabuki turns up as the Mirror Polisher, who cannot understand a word anyone says, which puts him about level with the audience. The fights are over in seconds. Yinniang meets a masked woman in the birch wood, they exchange perhaps eight strokes, something is cut, and the film goes back to looking at the trees. A raid on a camp is shown from a hillside, in one wide shot, the way a passer-by would see it. Anyone who came for wire-work and ten-minute duels will feel robbed; several critics did. We did not. Because these fights are never allowed to become entertainment, you flinch when the blade comes out. The plot is another matter. It concerns who in Weibo is loyal to the court and who is poisoning whom, and the four credited writers have removed most of the sentences that would have told you. Liao Ching-sung and Huang Chih-chia cut scenes before the information has landed. We lost the thread around the forty-minute mark and found that we did not mind. A viewer who did mind would be furious, and the closing stretch feels longer than its 105 minutes. Most critics have landed near where we have; the dissenters wanted a martial arts film and were handed a Hou film with swords in it. Against his own work it sits closest to *Flowers of Shanghai*, another film about power conducted in lit rooms, and a long way from [*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon). See it on the largest screen you can; the mist and the candles are most of what it has to offer, and on a laptop they are wallpaper. The film is not keeping anything from you. It is simply not interested in telling you. *Fi1m score 82, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics admire The Assassin, and the praise gathers almost entirely around how it looks. The reviews return to the long, still compositions, the mist and fabric the camera peers through, and the resemblance to classical Chinese painting. Hou Hsiao-hsien’s patient, observational style, applied to a wuxia story, is the point of interest: the fights are brief and spare, and several critics find them better for it. Shu Qi’s performance and the period detail in interiors and costume are singled out repeatedly. The reservations are about pace and story. Even admirers call the film slow and hard to follow, and a few find its characters thinned out. The spread is wide, from full marks to outright rejection: Digital Spy finds it dramatically paralysed and aloof, Paste emotionally and narratively impoverished, and the Evening Standard loses patience with the plot as tension drains from the second half. The dissenters concede its beauty; what divides critics is whether beauty is enough. ### Reviews we read (24) - **Little White Lies**, Violet Lucca (4/5/5): The critic calls it one of the most beautiful films of the year, praising its layered textures, formal precision, and Shu Qi's haunting performance as the emotional center of this enigmatic wuxia tale. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-assassin) - **Slant Magazine**, Jesse Cataldo (4/4): Hou familiarizes Tang dynasty China in a wuxia tale less concerned with eulogizing values than exploring them, carving out a rich emotional sphere and finding delicate poetry in the dispassionate pursuit of revenge. The film is aggressively slow and difficult to follow but rewards with visual splendor and a painterly style of withdrawal. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-assassin/) - **Film Comment**, Kent Jones (90/100, inferred): The critic is awestruck by the film's refinement, economy, and visual harmony, describing it as a spell-like experience of breathtaking stillness and subtle shifts in tone that elevates the wuxia genre. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/cannes-2015-the-assassin-mountains-may-depart-mia-madre/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Mark Olsen (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a fascinating hybrid that combines Hou's patient style with a martial arts tale, praising its beauty, emotional resonance and meditative aura. The lead performance and period detail are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-1016-the-assassin-review-20151016-story.html) - **Sight and Sound**, Roger Clarke (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's exquisite, elliptical style and ravishing visuals as one of Hou's best, noting its oblique wuxia approach and attention to period detail in interiors and landscapes. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-assassin) - **The AV Club**, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (A-): The Assassin is one of the most beautiful and puzzling movies of the decade, a mesmerizing martial-arts period piece that keeps to wuxia conventions while casting them in a mysterious light. Mood and poetic atmosphere are key, with quick, terse fights subsumed by a radical, minimalist yet lush aesthetic. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-assassin-is-as-beautiful-and-transfixing-as-it-is-e-1798185238) - **Variety**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as a mesmerizing slow burn that merges stasis and kinesis with breathtaking compositional elegance, the most ravishingly beautiful of Hou's work. Shu Qi's performance and the film's moral clarity in action sequences are praised. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/the-assassin-review-cannes-hou-hsiao-hsien-1201501865/) - **The Guardian** (85/100, inferred): Hou Hsiao-hsien’s painterly tale of Tang dynasty intrigue is a magnificent blend of fleet-footed action, dark magic and emotional realism. The film’s observational style, lengthy wide shots and exquisite cinematography through mists and fabrics create a magical, mesmerising experience. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/the-assassin-review-hou-hsiao-hsien-nie-yinniang) - **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a contemplative and ravishing immersion in Tang Dynasty politics and moral dilemmas, reassuring purists that Hou maintains his artistic integrity with measured observation and elegant action bursts. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-assassin-review/5087409.article) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (80/100, inferred): The critic notes Hou adapts the wuxia genre to his delicate, realist touch with spare and precise action scenes, resulting in a beautiful, beguiling film that immerses viewers in its rarefied world despite its slow pace. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-assassin-1) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (75/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's sumptuous stillness punctuated by extravagant martial artistry and its evocation of classical Chinese paintings. Narrative psychology and character depth are noted as comparatively thinned out. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-assassin) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (70/100, inferred): The review describes the film as beguiling yet baffling, with a steadily paced, dream-like quality focused more on contemplative beauty and emotions than clear plot or action, though it fascinates even without full understanding. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/assassin-2-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, THR Staff (70/100, inferred): The film offers an idiosyncratic, personal take on the martial arts genre with bursts of swift swordplay amid long, still landscapes. It is extraordinarily beautiful but its refinement and narrative ambiguity may limit appeal beyond art film fans. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/assassin-cannes-review-797267/) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a stately, graceful action movie with bursts of choreographed violence that otherwise unfolds like a series of exquisite paintings. Hou Hsiao-hsien's visual beauty and formal innovation are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/movies/review-the-assassin-finds-delight-in-a-deadly-vocation.html) - **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the film gorgeous and novel in its languorous take on martial arts and representation of violence, but criticises its ridiculous plot, lack of humour and diminishing tension in the second half. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-assassin-film-review-kung-fu-nun-and-an-unlikely-hit-girl-a3163046.html) - **Eye for Film**, Anne-Katrin Titze (90/100, inferred): The critic commends the hypnotizing cinematography, detailed historical production and costume design, and how the film transcends the wuxia genre with its emphasis on stillness, light, and natural female agency. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-assassin-2015-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A-): The critic describes the film as an epic visual poem of extraordinary beauty and period naturalism, celebrating its painterly frames, minimal dialogue, and rewards for patience despite the slow pacing and sparse story. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/cannes-review-hou-hsiao-hsiens-the-assassin-is-an-epic-visual-poem-20150520/) - **The Skinny**, Philip Concannon (4/5): The critic hails Hou at the peak of his powers, praising the masterful composition, colour, and rewarding minimalist storytelling for patient viewers despite some narrative opacity. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-assassin-hou-hsiao-hsien) - **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Hou Hsiao-hsien for blending stunning imagery with enigmatic storytelling in this wuxia tale of deferred vengeance. The film’s visual poetry, efficient combat scenes, and strong ensemble performances are singled out for creating a hypnotic experience for arthouse audiences. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-assassin-review-hou-hsiao-hsien-shu-qi-chang-chen/) - **Consequence** (75/100, inferred): The film applies Hou’s signature stillness to the wuxia genre, resulting in something that may frustrate viewers seeking energy and action. The critic singles out the sheer beauty of its direction, meticulous production design, and visual poetry as soaring strengths. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/10/film-review-the-assassin/) - **Den of Geek**, Ryan Lambie (3/5): The critic praises the meditative beauty and dignified imagery but notes a lack of pulse-pounding action or emotional intensity compared to typical martial arts films. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-assassin-review/) - **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (50/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's visual splendor in color and costumes along with the elegant, bloodless fight scenes but notes the ponderous pace and convoluted storyline may limit its appeal to those seeking more action than art. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-assassin-review/) - **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film visually beautiful but dramatically paralysed and too aloof, criticising its lack of action and testing the viewer's patience despite festival acclaim. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a780539/the-assassin-review-martial-arts-cannes-hit-is-an-action-less-snooze/) - **Paste**, Tim Grierson (7.8): Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film is a gorgeous, visually stunning martial arts movie that withholds and subverts genre pleasures for something more beautiful and mysterious. The critic praises its lyrical battle sequences and meticulous construction but finds it emotionally and narratively impoverished, stubborn in its withholding quality. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-assassin-2015-cannes-review) ## Details - **Director:** Hou Hsiao-hsien - **Director:** Hou Hsiao-hsien - **Screenplay:** Chu Tien-Wen, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Zhong Acheng, Hsieh Hai-Meng - **Cinematography:** Mark Lee Ping-Bing - **Editor:** Liao Ching-sung, Huang Chih-chia - **Music:** Lim Giong - **Production design:** Huang Wen-ying - **Costume design:** Huang Wen-ying - **Producer:** Stephen Lam Bing-Kwan, Song Dai, Chen Yiqi - **Cast:** Shu Qi as Nie Yinniang; Chang Chen as Tian Ji'an; Zhou Yun as Lady Tian Yuan / Jingjinger; Satoshi Tsumabuki as Mirror Polisher; Ni Dahong as Nie Feng; Yong Mei as Lady Nie Tian; Lei Zhenyu as Tian Xing; Nikki Hsieh as Huji - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 16 October 2015 - **Genres:** Action, Adventure, History - **Budget:** $15 million - **Box office:** $12 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSoXoOAY1zU ## Where to watch in the US - MUBI: streaming, hd - Tubi: free, hd - The Roku Channel: free, hd - Apple TV: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $7.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: BE, BR, CA, CH, DK, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, NL, NO, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - International Submission to the Academy Awards 2016: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated) - Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film 2015: Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film (won) ## If you liked this - *A Touch of Zen* (1971): King Hu’s bamboo-grove fights are the ancestor of every quiet swordswoman since. - *Flowers of Shanghai* (1998): Hou in brothels instead of palaces, same candlelight, same patience, same distance. - *Ashes of Time* (1994): Wong Kar-wai’s desert wuxia, where the swordsmen mostly sulk and remember. - *Harakiri* (1962), Fi1m 91: Kobayashi’s samurai film is almost all talk, then one unbearable fight. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/harakiri.md) - *Barry Lyndon* (1975), Fi1m 85: Kubrick’s candlelit rooms and slow duels; another film that refuses to hurry. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-assassin