I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A Michelle Yeoh film has seldom let me down over the years, and 'Reign Of Assassins' is no exception. Quality, Style and competent direction all add up to make this a very enjoyable Wuxia offering. Apart from Yeoh's obligatory fine rendering, there are also solid performances from the rest of the well chosen cast,... particularly Jung Woo-Sung as 'the love interest with a surprise' , and from Wang Xueqi as 'the ever-so-slightly mad chief assassin' ..and main villain . All in all I really enjoyed this movie and would love to see a follow-up,... but sadly due to inexplicably-weak box office takings , I doubt that there will ever be a 'Reign Of Assassins 2'.... which is a real pity.

For some reason I had been putting it off to get around to watch this movie. And that was a mistake on my behalf, because this is most definitely a great movie, and a well worth addition to any fans of the Asian swords play and martial arts genre. As epic as "Hero"? Nah, but it is a close ringer.Supported by a really good cast, "Reign of Assassins" has a solid story that is well executed and well-told on the screen. There are several layers to the storyline and depending on what you want from the movie, you will take something different with you when the movie ends. I am not going to summarize the storyline here, as it would require too much space, and this is the type of movie better seen then read about.Yes, this is Wire-Fu at its best, but then again, so are many of the great swords play and martial arts movie to come from Asia. And whether or not you like the Wire-Fu movie, that is a matter of personal preference. I do, however, enjoy them, and I enjoyed this movie quite a lot.I was especially impressed with Michelle Yeoh's performance in this movie. I must admit that so far I have only had a so-so relationship to most of her movies, as they haven't been as outstanding as this one. But she really dazzled me with this movie, and I do believe that I will re-visit the older DVD movies with her on the cast list in my DVD collection any time soon."Reign of Assassins" is a definite must watch for fans of epic movies such as "Hero" and the entire genre of these particular types of movies. "Reign of Assassins" is in all its complexity a very beautiful movie.

Michelle Yeoh surely is the queen of the action genre - and when watching this movie you won't have any doubts as to why she is.Many people will be quick to compare this film to previous wu xia or martial arts films - Crouching Tiger for one - which is one of my favourite films of all time. While I don't think it is better than CTHD, all these films are essentially different films with different stories and characters so it really depends on what you like in a film - hence I don't believe in the 'greatest film of all time' - it's up to you after all.But I had a good time with this. I have to admit I thought there were too many characters and I got a bit confused as I was trying to keep up with who was who and all, but it is essentially a fun story about a group of assassins who are after the main gal (Yeoh) who wants to lead a normal life instead of one full of constant bloodshed. While this has elements of typical revenge elements, the film also has a sense of humour with some comedic moments, fantasy, romance and great fighting scenes.However, I felt the film didn't have a consistent tone so it sort of switched too much for my liking. Was it trying to be a serious film about warriors hardships and their quest to feel human? That's what I thought it was then it sort of changed its tone to melodramatic which sometimes didn't work properly then to cheesy comedy. I think they put a lot into it.Nevertheless, all the actors in here give a pretty good performance and Yeoh pulls it off with her physical abilities not to mention her charisma. The ending however, felt underdeveloped as I couldn't believe that is how it was with the guy and his attitude (that's all I'm saying - it changed very quickly!) That being all said, it is a well done film and certainly an enjoyable martial arts film that is probably more suited to those who didn't like the elusive emotions in CTHD (but I did) and hey, I don't mind a no brainer flick if it is done well - and this certainly is!

Yes there was..without counting Michelle Yeoh, everyone else felt like they shouldn't be on this movie. Everyone else didn't fit their roles. I think they capitalized on the faces, not on the ability to pull off a martial artist role. Take for example Shawn Yue. Even after seeing him from Infernal Affairs, and now this, I still can't associate him with action movies. I could see him more as a boy-next-door, rom-com type of guy. But with these type of movies..I digress. Also Jung Woo-sung. His acting shows a lot of effort, you can see in his expressions that it doesn't come off naturally. Although I have to say his fight scenes were tolerable. For both of them, I think their genre isn't action. Well at least not yet. They don't have the Andy Lau aura in them.But nothing beats how Barbie Xsu was a terrible cast for this one. Not only was the look of a fighter negated by her sweet and slender appearance but her fight scenes were not decent as well. If I'm not mistaken, this is her first time doing a role such as this. And its quite obvious. She's suited for dramas, rom-coms, romance...but this one, I don't think she's ready for these types of movies yet. She was fabulous in Meteor Garden, because she pulled off the strong-willed college girl, and she looks like it, and she can act like it..but as an assassin, that's another story. The wire-fus didn't even help. The only thing I could commend of her participating in the movie is the fact of her taking a risk of matured roles, evidenced by her sensual and seductive scenes. She was bareback more than once.Even Wang Xueqi didn't come off as a despicable villain. And his raspy voice didn't help either. First half or ¾ of the movie will only show him with his hood on, letting his soldiers do ground work whilst he does his hypnosis and mind games of some sort.. trying to appear as a real dangerous fighter, making it appear his real strength is reserved for a much-awaited battle of all battles in the end(then again, that's what leaders do right?)..but then I have to say I wasn't disappointed with the fight choreography in the end part. The John Woo trademark is once again present on this one. You know, a fight after a fight. Giving the viewers complete satisfaction of fight scenes. Although wire-fu is everywhere, they're tolerable and to a certain extent, convincing.One strength of this movie is the story. I love the story as much as it sounds familiar. Yes its our good ole battle-over-something plot again. But it does have a good twist and the presence of some romance element will distract the viewer's perception of this as a purely action movie for awhile. A good integration of elements of love, betrayal, destiny, revenge..and of course, action!