Sword of the Assassin (2012)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A lot of fun.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

... because the story is very bad. I mean, it starts out fine, but the characters are basically every other wuxia movie cliché, and then at the end the story devolves altogether into one hot mess and badly done CGI soup. Accusations of plagiarism aside, this movie is just not good at all.

To answer many viewers who thought "Sword of the Assassin" looks like of Chinese origin, it is because IT'S COPIED from Chinese origin. In Vietnam "Sword of the Assassin" is widely known to have plagiarized from several Chinese and Korean movies. This is the same movie called "Blood Letter" but the filmmakers switched the title to "Sword of the Assassin" after Vietnamese social media exposed the plagiarism. It's a big scandal in Vietnamese language media and social media. Some Vietnamese language links: Youtube video "Vietnamese American movie director plagiarize more movies"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z0tYECq_ZA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SGx04TL4SM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0y8YdFddrM Now you know the reason why everyone said how "Chinese" the movie is. Historical influence is no excuse for modern plagiarism, look at Korean movies they had same historical influence but didn't plagiarize and developed a unique Korean cinema. The director had a history of plagiarizing foreign movies and claiming author, particularly he was the first filmmaker investigated for plagiarism by Vietnamese cinema regulators and found to have plagiarized "Shattered"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WttzaJg2WdI The Vietnamese subtitles in the "Sword of the Assassin" expose video say after the director was found guilty for plagiarizing "Shattered", he now copies from different movies and combine to make it harder for the public to find out original source.

Really love this movie!!! :D It has all the wonderful elements I like about martial arts movie - An excellent plot, beautiful scenery, wonderful martial arts choreography and throw in some well done humor and you've got an excellent movie. I really liked the actress who played the evil empress - there was a lot of depth to her character. It was correctly paced and I never felt bored watching the movie. As a martial artist, I really appreciated the choreography. The fighting scenes were exciting to watch and reminded me of the good old days before crouching tiger hidden dragon where there was less flying moments. This choreography has a good mix of both.Overall, I'm so happy I got to watch this movie and as soon as it comes out in DVD I'm going to buy it for all my friends and family :D Also, I really liked the message in this movie. Unfortunately, I can't state what it is or it's be a spoiler. ^_^

How do you review a Martial Arts movie?Essentially TMAH can be categorized as the first Vietnamese production to attempt a full-scale historical martial arts story.And what is really enticing about historical martial arts stories? 1. Epic landscapes, historical beauty and dramatic costumes 2. Riveting Moralistic Story-plot of betrayal, revenge, love, justice, friendship, power and greed 3. Captivating sword and martial arts choreography and effects 4. Mesmerizing heroes and devastatingly evil villainsYou could review it against the many successful mega-epic historically accurate and mesmerizing productions from the best of the world, or you could review it from the scope of what it achieved within the budget, storyline, execution and for the market it was made for.I choose the latter.Okay, so TMAH is not 'Ang Lee' beautiful or deep in its plot twists nor even as epic as many world-class mega-million dollar sword flick or martial arts productions out of Hong Kong, China, Korea or even Thailand studios of today. But, we have to keep in mind that Vietnam's post-war movie industry is still in its infancy. And for that it is simply inspiring!And while I agree that the characters could have more depth in their acting, the landscapes and costumes could have had less of a Chinese influence, the plot could have been less expected, the heroes and villains expanded further plus the execution of the choreography more refined; the crux is TMAH is still a great watch simply because it had enough of all the elements to make it a great first foray.All the leading and supporting characters give a good account of themselves without overacting, especially first time leading lady - Midu, who gave an impeccable performance as a young strong willed, sometimes temperamental but lovable sister seeking justice!Even the extras look fully committed to their world. When the scenic shots hit the mark, they really are stunning. And there is enough creativity in the action choreography to leave you impressed. The effects could have been more polished but the music and sound effects unlike even some great epics, are beautiful and crisp. I am especially drawn to the double arrowed flying assassins!Ultimately, is there room to improve? Definitely. But more importantly I sum up the entire movie as an epic milestone for Vietnamese film-making...and best of all, it can only get bigger, richer and better from here on.