Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao Hsien is known for a kind of hyper-contemplative realism, but for his latest effort, he’s gone in a major gear shift direction by making a martial arts wuxia film. Although he’s known for polar opposite films like "Millennium Mambo" (a film we listed as one of the best movies of 2003) and "Three Times," he’s apparently always wanted to do a fighting film, and that's what he's done with his latest, “The Assassin.” This is his first film since 2008s’ “Flight of the Red Balloon.” It has been rumored to show in Cannes for the past couple of years, but he reveals he had trouble getting the backing.
“I’ve always had a dream to make this story into a film. I first came across the Tang Dynasty legendary tales when I was in university studying film, and before that I had read many wuxia stories when I was a child,” Hou told the The New York Times, referring to China’s rich tradition of martial arts stories. “But I could never make...
