August 9, 2023 (NYC)–   Night of the Assassin is a Really Good Time.  A Look at Night of the Assassin , a martial arts film of South Korean origin-available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD now!   Here is a synopsis and review of this Well Go USA Entertainment release.

After a deadly, long-dormant health condition surfaces during a mission, Joseon’s most lethal assassin goes into hiding to seek a cure without revealing his identity. But upon witnessing a ruthless campaign of terror against local villagers, the region’s deadliest killer comes out of retirement in order to exact his own brutal brand of vigilante justice.

REVIEW:

Night of the Assassin is an independent film that offers a lot.   Well Go USA has done it again by releasing this small film that packs a wallop of a punch.  Shin Hyun-joon is a very good in the lead role of a film’s title. He is a deadly, but ailing, Assassin that disappears to find peace and solace in hiding.  This peace and solace are disturbed, forcing him to reveal his deal nature.   While this is a somewhat common theme in martial arts films, the film itself is not common.  It has a unique tone, look, and ability to convey the story with heart.

Written and directed by first-time auteur Kwak Jeong-deok, this film reminiscent of a a larger budgeted, and terrific film from 2020, known as The Swordsman, also of Korean origin.  This film almost pays tribute to the 2020 film, and does so with honor.

The film is a low budget film but the action and fight choreography are terrific.   There are numerous, visually engaging fight scenes and a worthy climax,  I was entertained throughout.  There are some truly remarkable moments in this film that involved risk taking.  I applaud that.

The film also has a tone of humor that makes it a fun watch.  For me, the humor is properly tempered with the action-sam not a huge fan of humor infused, fight scenes.  The humor here knows its place.

The film is a worthwhile and I recommend it.  I expect to see future films in the genre from Kwak Jeong-deok, and I expect they will continue to improve.

DETAILS:

The Action-Adventure Film Debuts Exclusively on Hi-YAH! On July 21 Before Hitting Digital, Blu-ray^™ & DVD August 8

The film contains English subtitles.

–review by Master Marc Zirogiannis