Legendary Assassin

Written by Jonathan Jacobs

Legendary Assassin ardently represents why the Martial Arts film genre enjoys worldwide popularity. Jacky Wu (Wu Jing) is an expert Wushu artist with a flair for evasive maneuvers. While his personality in the film is anything but flamboyant, his skills are full of panache. Alongside the adorable Celina Jade, Wu is able to perfectly master each sequence to ensure the audience a maximum level of enjoyment. Before delving head first into the story, I can already assure martial arts lovers that Legendary Assassin is an unbelievably good picture.

     The film offers a hot opening. Timothy ‘Chairman’ Ma (Zhan Wen-Keu) is busy relieving himself with a temptress. This particular prostitute is equipped with a plethora of interesting tattoos, including two realistic eyes that face the camera as she is hammered. While their intense intercourse is in full swing, outside the Chairman’s compound, Bo Tong Lam (Wu) assaults and quickly dismantles the boss’ guards. Although the choreography by Nicky Li Chung-Chi is initially shoddy, it quickly improves to a near expert, feverish pace. Having heard the disturbance, Chairman Ma throws the sex toy aside, equips himself with a battle ax (it may have been a scythe) and moseys outside (while intoxicated) to eliminate the intruder. Despite his fierce attacks and near misses, Ma is disarmed and made defenseless. This is the first moment when we learn how devastating Bo can be. Once resoundingly defeated and brought to his knees, Bo jumps high in the air and lands on the mob boss’ shoulders, thus crushing his knees and his torso. In a word, ouch. In two words, holy expletive!

     Shortly after concluding his business with the late Chairman, it is announced that a category 5 typhoon has caused all shipping enterprises to be temporarily halted. This leaves Bo stranded on the island near Hong Kong. While wandering the streets searching for food and shelter, he notices a beautiful woman rescuing her cat. When the woman Hui Wor (Jade) loses her footing, Bo catches her as though she is a ballerina plummeting from a high jump and not falling from a tree. Instantly grateful for being rescued by prince charming, Hui invites him in shelter. Bo explains that he is a bowling instructor, hence the roundness of his bag. Prepare for a delightful surprise later in the film, one that may or may not seem obvious depending on your level of perceptiveness.

     Hui identifies her Uncle’s restaurant as the only one open during times of inclement weather. While enjoying Hui’s company, a radio broadcaster announces that three Chinese criminals have escaped the authorities and are extremely dangerous. Feeling overly confident, Hui approaches the three men seated at Uncle Zhi’s. Immediately they begin strangling her. Feeling responsible for her well-being and having the heart of a romantic, Bo intervenes. After a long and intense scene, all three men are subdued, Hui’s life is saved, and Bo appears to be a hero. That description is a far cry from being labeled an assassin!

     At police headquarters, Bo is mostly greeted as a local hero, is invited to stay for dinner, and to potentially assist in future police work. Of course, feeling amorous toward Hui, Bo earns the ire of a rival, Tarzan (Sammy Leung). Tarzan is full of bravado and seethes with jealousy. In the middle of dinner, Bo (who had not eaten in days) has gorged himself with rice and noodles quicker than everyone else. Rather than facing embarrassment, he asks for permission to cook more food. Granted the opportunity, Bo proves himself an expert chef, electrician, and dishwasher. Hui is impressed if not smitten. Tarzan is angry eager to prove his rival is a criminal.

     While the tenuous romance is unfolding, Chairman Ma’s widow is busy gathering her best assassins and lieutenants to search for her husband’s body and decapitated head, presumably carried by his executioner. Dozens of thugs begin roaming the street. Still having no place to stay for the night, Bo is forced to elude his would be captors through his powers of stealth and acrobatics. Once her husband’s body is confiscated by the police, Madame Ma (Aoyama Noriko) orders her team to the police station to recover it by any means necessary. An all out brawl ensues leaving one officer dead and two others are nearly burned to a crisp.

     During all of the action, Tarzan repeatedly announces that he suspects Bo is the assassin and demands he be brought to justice. Feeling awestruck by his bravery and in love, Hui is conflicted. When Bo attempts to escape on the first ferry back to the mainland, Hui’s fellow officers detain him and search his bag. As promised by Bo, they only find a bowling ball, thus confirming his innocence. After he escapes, Madame Ma is left no recourse other than to kidnap Bo’s would-be lover, Hui, to use her as bait. This leads to a beautifully choreographed scene in which Bo must fight off 100 martial artists to rescue Hui.

     Bo has always been a loner and has lived without much joy. Though he is a killer by trade, he is also courageous and morally discriminating in his choice of victims. It is obvious, albeit closer to how romance is portrayed in Korean films, that Bo and Hui are in love. They have found a reflection of themselves in one other. It is a slow-building, symbolic and sophisticated romance, unlike the sleazy/straight-to-bed American film love affairs portrayed by Hollywood. Legendary Assassin offers the perfect mixture of action and drama. It is charming, beautiful and deadly, all at the same time. I highly recommend viewing it. I offer it two emphatic spinning kicks!