Verdict
Summary
A little on the slight side in terms of grandeur and budget, Night of the Assassin is a decent enough effort, if conspicuously light on gore, stunts, and action until the satisfying climax.
Plot:
A lethal assassin tries retiring … which doesn’t go so well.
Review:
In a time when thugs and bandits roamed free in Korea without fear of reproach by authorities, a new breed of assassins rose up when warlords and marauders would turn against each other. One such assassin named Inan (Shin Hyun-Joon) built for himself a revered and feared reputation, but what no one realizes is that he has a weak heart. On his latest contract, he killed his marks, but almost died of a heart attack as a result, and after visiting a doctor he’s told to quit his life of martial arts and wanton passionate sex with whores, and to settle down somewhere that he’ll not be recognized or feared so that he can spend the rest of his days in quiet solitude. Inan ends up in a remote village where his reputation is behind him, and he tries befriending a restaurant owner and her son, who treat him like a friend and neighbor, obviously oblivious to his rough past. Time passes, and eventually his past catches up to him when a group of bandits show up and treat everyone in the village like garbage, threatening to cut off his employer’s son’s arm off in a petty dispute, and when Inan steps into the fracas, the bandits won’t have time to regret their decision because he kills them all. The bandits’ leader eventually comes looking for them, and when they find them buried in a shallow grave, they come out in droves to kill whoever did them wrong, causing Inan to reveal himself. The boy is killed, and Inan goes ballistic – to hell with his weak heart – and slaughters droves of bandits, leading to a massive one-against-many sword fight, including the best hired assassins they can throw at him.
A little on the slight side in terms of grandeur and budget, Night of the Assassin is a decent enough effort, if conspicuously light on gore, stunts, and action until the satisfying climax. The film is very well lit, which is par for the course for shot-on-digital movies these days, but I would’ve appreciated more grain and texture to the film, as it’s a historical drama with some swordplay. It’s too well lit and slick for my tastes, and while the film tells a more or less compelling story, it’s somehow a bit lighthearted with an upbeat score and comedic touches that it would’ve done better without. Still, those looking for an adequate samurai-style film with enough bloodshed and a one-against-overwhelming odds type of movie, Night of the Assassin should fit the bill. From director Kwak Jeong-Duk.
Well Go USA’s new Blu-ray release of Night of the Assassin comes with some trailers.
