The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015) is a wuxia film. There’s sword fights, blades audibly whooshing as they move through the air, throats slit, arrows fired, preternatural martial arts moves, and death aplenty. There’s showdowns in forests, horseback battles, chases on foot, and leaping from and onto rooftops. There’s tragic romance, foretold fate, sad pasts, missions, vengeance, family lineage. There’s ninth-century history, Tang Dynasty politics, the rise of nationhood, palace intrigue, and scheming battles for power. There’s thoughtful masters, willing pupils, wizened mystics with wild facial hair, men with expressive eyebrows and imposing moustaches, and glowing visions of the imperial court. There’s endless moral codes – from royalty to criminality – with the humans existing within the film’s historical tale and vast landscapes grappling with the discrepancy between desire and duty.…
