Review at a glance
Su Chao-Pin’s 2010 wuxia (martial arts adventure) is redolent, not of Ye Olde China, but Friday evenings spent watching cult TV series Monkey. Produced and co-directed by John Woo, Reign of Assassins blends humour, melancholy yearning and balletic fights, while also creating a credibly strong heroine (Michelle Yeoh). Not, ultimately, that challenging, but deeply soothing.