Reign of Assassins

Dir/Scr: Su Chao-Pin
Prods: John Woo, Terence Chang
Presenters: Media Asia, Beijing Galloping Horse Films, Zhejiang Dongyang Dragon Entertainment Venture Investment, Gamania Digital Entertainment, Lumiere Motion Picture, Beijing Heguchuan TV & Film
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-Sung, Wang Xueqi, Barbie Hsu, Shawn Yue
2010 | Colour | DCP | Mandarin | Chi & Eng Subtitles | 120min

Terence Chang and Michelle Yeoh worked together at D & B Films and remained close friends. Chang helped connect Yeoh with Hollywood, landing roles in blockbusters like Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Chang had always wanted to produce a wuxia film tailored for Yeoh and succeeded with Reign of Assassins. Working with investors, Chang was able to cast Korean star Jung Woo-Sung. He also put together a stellar crew, convincing Michelle Yeoh, who was enjoying a Hollywood success, to return to making Chinese-language films.

The Dark Stone gang is notorious for its violence, its leader Wheel King (Wang Xueqi) wreaking havoc in his attempts to snatch a legendary treasure. Assassin Drizzle (Kelly Lin and Yeoh) steals the treasure but is enlightened by Monk Lu Zhu (Calvin Li) and decides to forsake violence, altering her face with surgery and changing her name. She settles down by marrying a villager (Jung Woo-Sung) but her past catches up with her...Writer-director Su Chao-Pin stages the various conflicts with philosophical references to modern life, resulting in a unique wuxia film Chang describes as ‘Face/Off meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith’. Yeoh shines as a chivalrous heroine, her martial-arts abilities complemented with complex emotions, exuding grace and charisma. This film not only premiered at the Venice Film Festival but director Su also won Best Director at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Courtesy of Media Asia Film Distribution (HK) Limited

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