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清宮啟示錄 (1983)
The Lady Assassin


Reviewed by: pjshimmer
Date: 07/10/2005
Summary: Solid wuxia actioner suffers from fast pace

Lady Assassin is a small gem. It is a tour-de-force of the transitional kung fu-wuxia action style. In other words, the action is REALLY good and plenty. Unfortunately, with a running time of about 86 minutes, the story is definitely rushed, and the ending is yet another it's-over-as-soon-as-the-villain-dies type. In this respect, Lady Assassin is not on par with the finest Shaw Bros wuxia tales that are polished in every aspect (namely "Long Road to Gallantry" and "Human Lantern"), but it's damn good nevertheless.

As a side note, this movie focuses on the 4th prince and the rebellious Lui family, whereas the movie REBELLIOUS REIGN centers around the character Nien Gengyao (here played by Jason Pai Piao) and offers more depth explaining his actions.

[8/10]


Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 07/04/2005
Summary: 7/10 - Some amazing action scenes

First up, if you don't like spoilers, don't read the title of the film! Whoops, too late :-/ Seriously, until the last 5 minutes you'll be wondering if Celestial put the wrong film on the disc, as it's really about 2 princes scheming and plotting to take over the throne of the land. And some rebels, and some courtiers, and... actually rather a lot of people, but not obviously about any Lady Assassins. The film is almost epic, and could have made a great austere painterly drama under a different director. Under Liu Jun Guk's hands it staggers wildly between that epic and a completely mad wire-fu extravaganza. The action scenes are some of the most mentally deranged of the era, clearly showing the influence of Ching Siu-Tung's groundbreaking wirework in such as DUEL TO THE DEATH - most obviously in the ninja'd up finale. Things would have been better still if they'd been a little more subtle with the undercranking, but it's still a blast if you like manic new-wave style action. Although the film definitely has that slightly cheap vibe Shaw Brothers films were getting by 1983, and lacks any real star power, it's still a pretty entertaining watch with a good story & some pretty special action scenes.

Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Gerard
Date: 02/19/2000
Summary: Martial Arts mayhem at its best

A story of two princes who fight to be their father's heir. As each struggles to overcome the other, the bloodshed begins. This one film that you have to see for yourself. The film was directed by Lu Chin Ku ( The Bastard Swordsman) and it stars Wang Lung Wei, Mok Siu Chung, Hsu Hsao Chang, and Jason Pai Piao. This film will definitely get your adrenaline pumping. It is action packed from start to finish. A must see for any fan of Martial Arts movies.