During an impending transfer of power, a candidate hires the titular character to eliminate his rival.
Written and directed by Chun-Ku Lu, this classic tale of a lady doing some good old-fashioned assassinating is one that comes courtesy of the Shaw Brothers, one of the most prolific film studios in history (especially for martial arts) and who had more female leads than a lot of other studios at the time. This one is a fun film with fights that are well-choreographed and fit the story. This is a Shaw Brothers film, so it has that specific look that is not necessarily connected to the writer-director. The work on the script here is good with a story that is easy to follow and entertaining and the direction works well for this story, bringing it to the screen in the right way for it. The film’s story itself is, as mentioned above, entertaining while not being overly complex. There is a bit of power struggle, some backstabbing, and a whole lot of fighting in what could have been a political drama but it more of an action period piece.
The cast here shines with second-billed yet leading lady Leanne Lau (credited as Hsueh-Hua Liu) giving a fun performance that kicks major butts. She’s the star, she knows it, so she brings it. She the one every eye is on every time she’s on screen. Joining her are Tony Liu, Mok Siu-Chung, Norman Chu, Jason Piao Pai, and a slew of others as is usual with Shaw Brothers films. The cast here is large but works quite well together, bringing in actors from other productions from the studio, so familiar faces abound for those who watch a lot of their films.
The look of the film here is good with a solid new transfer to 1080p with good sound quality. The cinematography is well showcased with this new transfer and the work by Chin-Chiang Ma looks great here with some of the usual, habitual flourishes seen in films of the era. The work done with the camera here works great with the story and with the fight sequences. These fights are coordinated by Kin-Kwan Poon, Yung Chung, and Tak Yuen, and their work here is entertaining, fun, and dynamic, making for a solid watch.
Overall, The Lady Assassin is an entertaining, fun watch, one with a solid lead, has some skilled stunt coordination, and looks great. It’s a good re-release for fans of the genre, the studio, and/or the leads.
The extras here are limited in number with a limited edition O-ring, some collectors’ art cards, new artwork, a stills gallery, a trailer, and the best item of the bunch: an interview with Kin-Kwan Poon.
