Director: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Screenplay: Tony Lou Chun-Ku
Starring: Tony Liu, Leanne Liu, Max Mok Siu-Chung, Jason Pai Piao, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Ku Feng, Cheung King-Yu, Richard Yuen Tak, Kwan Fung, Wong Mei-Mei
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 86 min
Year: 1983
BBFC Certificate: 15
Released in the same year as director Tony Lou Chun-Ku’s best-known films, Bastard Swordsman and Holy Flame of the Martial World, The Lady Assassin has become lost in the shuffle a little over the years. Looking to address this are 88 Films, who are releasing the film on a handsome new Blu-ray.
I got hold of a copy and my thoughts follow.
The Lady Assassin centres around a power struggle between rival princes who wish to take the throne after their father, Emperor Kang Hsi (Miao Ching), passes, which should be soon, due to his age.
The 14th Prince (Max Mok Siu-Chung) is a dutiful son, who shows the care for his subjects that his father is looking for. As such, he’s the most likely candidate for becoming the next Emperor.
However, the 4th Prince (Tony Liu) is a scheming, villainous man and wants power for himself. So, he plots to take the 14th Prince out of the equation. This proves difficult though, as the young royal is protected by Tsang Jing (Norman Tsui Siu-Keung), an immensely skilled martial artist. The 4th Prince attempts to buy this bodyguard’s services for himself but Tsang is loyal.
Whilst attempting to figure out a new approach, the 4th Prince comes across Nin Geng Yiu (Jason Pai Piao), another powerful fighter. The prince tricks Nin into becoming loyal to him and hires him as his protector, promising great power once he’s made Emperor.
The 4th Prince also enlists the help of a revolutionary named Lui Liu Liang (Ku Feng), after promising him that, once he is in power, he will improve the lives of the common people. Lui’s niece, Lui Si Niang (Leanne Liu), is suspicious of the 4th Prince but she agrees to help her father anyway.
Indeed, she leads a daring mission to break into the palace and steal the Emperor’s decree, which states who his successor will be. The 4th Prince has this altered to list his name and Niang puts it back for him.
The Emperor soon dies and the 4th Prince becomes Emperor. The 14th Prince and Tsang attempt to put things right but fail.
All hope looks lost but, after seeing the new Emperor fail to keep the promise he made to her uncle, alongside committing other treacherous actions, Niang and some other honourable followers decide to deliver their own brand of justice.
The Lady Assassin has a fairly typical Shaw Brothers period martial arts movie plot then, with political intrigue and betrayals galore. However, it’s less messy and confusing than most and works a treat in cueing up the numerous fight scenes and setting the scene for a truly dramatic final showdown.
The film is also well-polished, with the Shaw Brothers’ usual lavish period production design matched by some handsome cinematography and plenty of camera movement. This includes some tricky tracking shots that I wouldn’t dare to attempt to pull off myself.
There’s some sharp editing too, particularly in a beautifully presented ribbon dance that leads into the final fight. The dance is expertly intercut with shots of the good guys sneaking into the palace, executing several guards along the way.
It’s the fight scenes that shine the brightest though. The choreography is dynamic and inventive. The finale, in particular, takes things up a notch and goes all-out to deliver a wild, spectacular end to the film. The final shot is truly something to behold.
Overall then, The Lady Assassin is another expertly refined, entertaining and thrillingly choreographed classic from Shaw Brothers.
Film: 
The Lady Assassin is out on 24th February on region A&B Blu-Ray and DVD, released by 88 Films (pre-order it here). The print and transfer look fabulous, with lovely colours and textures. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. There’s only a Cantonese audio track available but that’s fine by me. I thought it sounded good.
LIMITED FEATURES
– High Definition Blu-ray Presentation (1080p) In 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
– Original Cantonese Audio with newly translated English subtitles
– From Child Actor to Fight Coordinator – An Interview with Poon Kin-Kwan
– Trailer
– Stills Gallery
– Reversible sleeve featuring original art
– Double-sided poster
– First pressing o-ring slipcase with new art by Sam Green
The only special feature of note is an interview with Poon Kin-Kwan, who was one of the fight instructors on the film. Like many kung-fu stuntmen and actors, he started out by training at a Peking Opera school. He then went on to be a child actor for Shaw Brothers, before moving on to action choreography. He tells his story and discusses the changing working practices in the industry. Running at 24 minutes, it’s a decent interview.
So, it’s not one of 88 Films’ more loaded packages, but the interview included is substantial and worth watching. Plus, even without this, the quality of the film and transfer are enough to make this an easy recommendation to Shaw Brothers fans.
Disc/package:
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