Hsiao-hsien Hou	...	(Director)
T'ien-wen Chu	...	(Writer)
Qi Shu	...
Chen Chang	...
Satoshi Tsumabuki	...
Shu Qi	...
Chang Chen	...
Ethan Juan	...
Xiaoqing Zuo	...
Xu Fan	...
Nikki Shie	...
Yun Zhou	...
Ni Da-Hong	...
Leon Dai	...
Jack Kao Kuo-Hsin	...
Ping Bin Lee	...	Cinematographer
Ching-Song Liao	...	Editor

Comments: Everything that's been written about this film is true. I read an interview with Hou and the two things he couldn't shut up about were that the actors couldn't do Martial Arts and there is no Chinese equivalent of the Shogun mentality/tradition. So the fights ended abruptly (which I liked, as lions do--they know who won) and there was no real foundation for the Assassin's journey.

The basic plot was simple and easy to follow but much of the filler palace intrigue was a little opaque. Doesn't matter. The soundtrack is outstanding to this beautiful painting of a film. My only objection is Hou (even tho he allowed for several anachronistic facial expressions) made Shu Qi wear big black galoshes. So she walked like a duck. Adding insult to injury, they had white trim. I call wardrobe malfunction!

Summary: The film is set during the mighty Tang Dynasty-period in Chinese history. A female assassin begins to question her loyalties when she falls in love with one of her targets.