Assassination is a historical action
film, a period ensemble blockbuster with many twists and turns in the narrative
and enough characters and tonal shifts to force audiences to work for their
entertainment. This doesn’t make for a bad film, just one that requires a bit
more attention to fully appreciate the spectacle. Although I am always an
advocate for appreciation of international cinema, this is also a film likely
to carry additional relevance for those who have lived through (or are at least
familiar with) Korean history.
As much as Assassination leans on the historical
accuracy for the impact of its narrative, this is not the somber drama that it
could have been, instead integrating humor and action into the period-relevant
plot. This allows the freedom of absurd story devices, such as twins separated
as infants, overblown action sequences, and any number of double-crosses
between the film’s many assassins. This convoluted collection of characters and
motives makes Assassination a
difficult film for those seeking mindless entertainment, though each individual
sequence provides satisfaction for those desiring spectacle.
At the center of
the complex narrative is an extremely simple premise involving a group of
exiled rebels planning to assassinate an Army official in Japanese-occupied Korea Korea
As large as this
production was, it is hard to believe that there are absolutely no special
features, whether deleted scenes or behind-the-scenes featurettes. While the
high definition is admittedly a plus in viewing this film on Blu-ray, there is
no excuse for the lack of extras. And English subtitles don’t count when you
are releasing a foreign language film on a region 1 disc.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
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