2012
103 minutes
Chinese, good subtitles
4 Stars
Based on the final years of Cao Cao, one of the most
ruthless tyrants of Ancient China. Chow Yun-Fat is wonderful as Cao Cao. He
made the old tyrant seem more human, a different take from what I've seen in
other movies and or read. Yifei Liu played opposite, and I found her lacking.
There was no tension between them, she was wooden, and the primary reason I
dropped it from 5 to 4 stars. Kidnapped as a child, along with a friend, they
were trained to become Assassins, and to win their freedom they must kill the
Tyrant, Cao Cao. She adds little beyond a beautiful face. It turns out she is a
princess, but we have no flash backs to give us hints, nothing until the end. Costuming,
music, filming, and Chow Yun-Fat are all 5 Stars.
