Cantonese: Saat yan je Tong Jaan
Mandarin: Sha ren zhe Tang Zhan
English: Killer Tong Jaan or Killer Tang Zhan

An offbeat entry in the early 90s HK period fantasy sweepstakes, THE ASSASSIN presents a definite change of pace but its good points are almost negated by a weak and uninteresting storyline. The film opens with Tong Po-ka (THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN's Zhang Fengyi) and his lover, Yiu (Rosamund Kwan Chi-lam), on the run from an enraged mob. Upon capture, Yiu is taken away and Tong is charged with kidnapping, having his eyes sewn shut as punishment. After enduring this torture for a time, he is forced to battle a group of other prisoners in a life and death match. As the winner, he is rechristened "Tong Jan," named the kingdom's chief assassin, and paired with neophyte killer Wong Kau (Max Mok Siu-chung). After numerous gory homicides (during which Tong frequently hacks his opponents into pieces), Tong finds himself unable to carry out his next assignment: the murder of a young child. Retreating from the world of martial arts, he reunites with Yiu, who now has a husband and son. In retribution for Tong's betrayal, the royal eunuch has Yiu's village burnt to the ground, prompting Tong to pick up his sword once more. In the interim, Wong has become the seasoned and ruthless killer that Tong once was, and now isn't above betraying his erstwhile friend, in order to gain the post of top assassin.

Some period fantasies require multiple viewings in order to be fully comprehensible to non-Chinese speaking viewers, but THE ASSASSIN could easily be viewed and understood without subtitles. Although that may sound like a blessing after some of the overly convoluted fare from this period (notably THE EAST IS RED and KUNG FU CULT MASTER), it is actually a liability. Director Billy Chung Siu-hung (PARAMOUNT MOTEL) and cinematographer Chiu Fei fill the screen with beautiful visuals, the production design is wonderfully florid (recalling both Shaw Brothers' stylized "interior exteriors" and the use of wintry locales in Japanese swordplay films like LADY SNOWBLOOD), and the action scenes offer an intriguing marriage of wire-enhanced acrobatics and the ultra-gory bloodletting found in Japanese samurai epics (the abundant carnage earned this the adults-only Category III rating). However, because of this extra care, the one-note screenplay and stock characters are particularly frustrating. Best known in the West for his fine performances in FAREWELL, MY CONCUBINE and TEMPTATION OF A MONK, distinguished Mainland actor Zhang Fengyi seems justifiably bored with this material, while Max Mok (sporting a silly heavy metal rocker wig) garners the most attention as the increasingly sadistic apprentice. As usual, Rosamund Kwan is relegated to the role of attractive scenery.