Reign of Assassins

Set in ancient China, Reign of Assassins follows Zeng Jing, a skilled killer who comes into possession of the remains of a Buddhist monk. The relic is believed to hold a powerful secret, and several factions want it for themselves. Zeng Jing decides to return the remains to their proper resting place, but her choice puts her in the path of assassins determined to take the relic from her. She undergoes facial surgery, takes a new name and settles into an ordinary married life, only for her old identity to resurface and draw her former enemies back into her life.

The film is directed by Su Chaobin, who also wrote the screenplay, and produced by John Woo and Terence Chang. It followed Su Chaobin's earlier directorial effort Silk, while for John Woo it came after Red Cliff II and was the nineteenth of the twenty-two films he has directed. Michelle Yeoh plays Zeng Jing, with Jung Woo-sung as Jiang Ah-Sheng, Wang Xueqi as The Wheel King, Barbie Hsu as Turquoise, Shawn Yue as Lei Bin and Kelly Lin as Drizzle, among a credited cast of thirty-three. Made for about 12 million US dollars, it took roughly 13 million worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6.8 from around 9,500 votes, and on TMDB 6.9 from roughly 290; a smaller critics' sample averaged 5.8.