Martial arts actor Jimmy Wang Yu excels as the lone hero in The Assassin, film inspired by the 1967 Hong Kong riots
- Wang, a heartthrob thanks to his role in One-Armed Swordsman, explores a more nuanced role in Chang Cheh’s historical tragedy with a modern tinge
- He plays a rebellious hero who puts his personal destiny before love in a film that’s seen as one of the most important works of the actor and its director
As an actor, Jimmy Wang Yu is best known for his roles in the groundbreaking One-Armed Swordsman, the superior wuxia film Golden Swallow, and for writing, directing and starring in The Chinese Boxer, the movie that began the kung fu wave of the early 1970s.
Released between One-Armed Swordsman and Golden Swallow, this is a literary film that concentrates on character development, romance and the subtleties of relationships rather than male brotherhood and action. Consequently, Wang gets the chance to explore a more nuanced role.
Wang, who after Swordsman had become a heartthrob as well as a martial arts star, excels as a romantic hero who chooses to put his personal destiny before love while safeguarding his family and girlfriend from the reprisals of his enemies.
The glamorous and charismatic star, overflowing with confidence from the success of Swordsman, is effective both as a lover and as an angry young man who wants to make his mark on the world and find glory even though he knows this will lead to an early death.