The Assassins - DVD

Content: China in the year 198 BC: Years ago, a prophecy predicted that a rare planetary constellation would bring about a change of power in the country. And indeed, everything looks like the end of the Han dynasty has come and the chancellor Cao Cao (Chow Yun-Fat), Lord of Wei, will ascend the throne. But Emperor Xian (Alec Su) is not ready to just surrender to his fate. For years, he has been preparing to have his adversary killed. To this end, children from all over the country have been abducted and trained in cruel methods to become perfect assassins. Among them is Li Ju (Yifei Liu), who after successful training is set to kill Cao Cao. But as she gets closer to the chancellor, she meets a man who embodies ideals he should not die for. But it's not just the Emperor's assassins, but also a traitor very close to him who seems to have sealed Cao Cao's end...

The Assassins is a visually stunning historical drama that boasts good actors, an opulent set, and some top-notch choreographed fight sequences. But even though the title and the poster motif promise a bit more action, Linshan Zhao's film is overall a rather quiet drama that mainly focuses on the political side of the story, on corruption and conspiracies. While this works very well overall, especially due to Chow Yun-Fat's fine performance, it also runs counter to the expectations of many viewers.

As beautiful as the film is to look at and as exciting as the somewhat convoluted story may be at the beginning, the film ultimately suffers from the fact that it fails to stand out from the crowd of similar type works dealing with the Three Kingdoms period. The battle sequences are great executed, but just come up short overall. Scenes like the one in which a troop of warriors stretch ropes over the palace, on which they then move like on a net, are fantastic to watch, but remain an exception. The initial idea is also exciting, but gets more and more lost in the conflict between Cao Cao and the emperor as the plot progresses. Alec Su's acting, which is a bit too upbeat, also doesn't necessarily help to give the film a special touch.

As I said, there's actually nothing at all wrong with The Assassins in terms of craftsmanship. All individual aspects can be rated positively without a doubt. It's just that this doesn't result in an outstanding overall picture, but one that threatens to get lost in the too big mass of similar works. For those who just want to get a feast for the eyes and can do without seeing something really new and surprising, this movie can be highly recommended. Therefore, applies: with small restrictions worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: If there is one aspect that can fully convince in The Assassins, then it is the opulent imagery. And this comes across well on the DVD thanks to the powerful colour scheme, which is often dominated by warm greens, and a high level of detail sharpness. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix comes across as pleasantly dynamic, even in the more sedate scenes, as not only clearer sound effects but also smaller ambient noises provide life to the surround channels. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, the disc has no bonus material to offer. Weak!

Conclusion:The Assassins has a great set, some well choreographed fight sequences, convincing actors and a story that seems a bit overloaded at the beginning, but overall quite exciting to offer. However, Linshan Zhao's historical drama fails to stand out from the crowd of very similar works. Moreover, the title and cover suggest martial arts action, which the film ultimately offers only marginally. Rather, this is an equipment drama that is mainly carried by dialogues, which is great to look at, but in the end hardly has any real sustainability. Therefore, the whole thing is only worth seeing with minor restrictions!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp