Here’s another flick from the block of El Rey programming that’s been clogging up my DVR since June 1st, 2017. It was broadcast as part of “Morning Martial Arts” during a Chang Cheh double feature. The other movie was the incredibly titled, The Fantastic Magic Baby, which I just can’t wait to get to. But first, let’s talk about The Assassin.
The Assassin stars the great Jimmy Wang Yu (the same year he collaborated with Cheh for the iconic The One-Armed Swordsman) as a martial arts student who has a sweet romance with a peasant girl. When an upper-class swordsman tries to put the moves on her, Jimmy defends her honor and is challenged to a duel. At the duel, the asshole tries to give Jimmy a cheap shot and is disqualified. He then gets his revenge by telling the government Jimmy’s teacher is a rebel spy, leading to his murder. Even though Jimmy is a great swordfighter, he’s also something of a mama’s boy, and when his mother forbids him from exacting revenge, he opts to drop out of sight and become a lowly butcher. Once his mother kicks the bucket however, Jimmy grabs his blade and sets out on a bloody path of vengeance.
The first act of The Assassin is a good sampler of what makes the work of Chang Cheh so great. It’s filled with scenes of honor, chivalry, and of course, bloody swordfights. Things sort of settle down once Wang Yu puts away his sword though. I mean it’s one thing for Jimmy to sit around and twiddle his thumbs, but the movie kind of does the same thing too. The romantic subplot that occurs midstream also helps to bog things down (although it does account for a quick glimpse of nudity).
The final reel is a real sizzler though, so that helps to overcome many of the film’s pacing problems. It is here where Jimmy Wang Yu does all the things you’d want to see him do, namely, fly around on wires, reverse-motion jump onto high walls, and stab the shit out of hundreds of guys. Even then, the movie manages to go on with five extra minutes of unnecessarily tying up loose plot threads that didn’t need to be tied up in the first place.
Ultimately, The Assassin isn’t the definitive pairing between Yu and Cheh one would hope for. Still, it’s worth checking out for action fans who enjoy old school Shaw Brothers martial arts movies. It’s just a shame that there’s a huge chunk where fuck-all happens, which is the reason I can’t give it the full *** treatment.
AKA: The Great Assassin.
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