Wu-Jing.org

--Legendary Assassin --
Here's a quick review of Legendary Assassin by Twitch's Todd Brown at American Film Mart.

Legendary Assassin is, in every way, a throwback to the b-grade Hong Kong martial arts films of the late 1980s complete with goofy comic relief, sweeping romance and a hugely melodramatic finale.

For fans of golden age Hong Kong action this thing is a gold mine of all the tropes seldom seen on screen these days though others will likely find these particular elements less appealing. Luckily, for those people, the film also features action o’plenty and proves that Wu Jing was actually on to something when he thought he could direct a film himself: this is quite easily the best shot and best constructed film that Wu Jing has appeared in since drawing huge attention in SPL.

The story is very basic - Wu Jing plays a killer stranded on an island surrounded by police and searching gangsters when an impending typhoon shuts down the ferry service and eliminates his escape route - but is told well and Wu makes a more than likable lead. For my money Wu is the best Chinese fighter of his generation and he shows off his skills to great effect with both wired and unassisted sequences set in a variety of environments with a broad range of opponents.

Will Legendary Assassin elevate Wu Jing into the true A-list? Nah, it’s not really that sort of movie but for fans of the old school this will definitely hit the spot.

Legendary Assassin AFM Screenings: Nov 8th, 5pm, Laemmle 4; Nov 11th, 9am, Laemmle 4