The Assassin

The ninth-century China is the timeframe in which 'The Assassin' is set, this drama that tells the story of Nie Yianniang, a young woman who returns home to her family after living most of her life in exile. Nie is a great warrior belonging to the so-called Order of Murderers. Her goal and the one for her order has always been to eliminate all the tyrants in control of China, something to which Nie has never shown any remorse. Everything was fine until her teacher orders the murder of her cousin Tian Ji'an, governor of Weibo. At that time the life of Nie, a warrior with unmatched skills and a mind full of feelings, changes drastically. Then she must choose between what her emotions seem to whisper and her duty as an assassin, which she will only fulfill by killing the man she loves in her heart and in real life. Compassion has no place in a film starring Shu Qi and Chang Chen, and directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien.