The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 20, 2025

The Lady Assassin was released in 1983, when the venerable Shaw Brothers was arguably just a shadow of its former monolithic self, a shadow that was in fact being (broad?)cast mostly onto television screens, since the studio had already started focusing on "small screen" productions by the time this film was produced. This is nonetheless a rather lavishly designed film, something that may have been done to help lure eyes away from those small screens. The desire to attract ticket buyers may have also led to one of this late Shaw Brothers era's most insanely choreographed films, with absolutely gonzo wire effects and other fighting "regimens" that keep the action scenes in particular vibrantly alive. The actual story is definitely old hat and will no doubt remind long time Shaw Brothers fans of any number of other efforts from the studio, as a chain of succession is broken by the nefarious plotting of a supposed heir who has pretty much just stolen a kingdom from several other potential designates. The villain here is typically called the Fourth Prince (Tony Liu), but it's actually the Fourteenth Prince (Max Mok) who is the rightful new ruler, and the film follows his struggles, along with the titular character Lui Si Niang (Leanne Lau), to set things right.

Maybe just slightly hilariously the back cover of this release touts it as a "blood drenched story of ninjas, eunuchs and dark palace intrigue", a description which may subliminally reveal that the lady assassin supposedly at the core of the story may actually be more of a sidebar. Instead, the chief plot dynamics here involve the warring princes, with the Fourteenth Prince also being aided by bodyguard type Tsang Jing (Norman Chui), who appears as a veritable Deus ex Machina on more than one occasion. The plot dynamics are admittedly more than hoary, another arguably subliminal sign that the Shaw Brothers had pretty much exhausted their storytelling abilities, but the film still delivers some epically gonzo battles with bodies flying through the air and swords crashing into other swords and/or bodies, though even these exciting action elements can be intermittent.

The result is a story that will frankly feel well worn at best, with energy levels suddenly (literally in some cases) kicking into high gear when the interstitial fight sequences break out. It's rather odd in any case that this film would be titled The Lady Assassin, as it really never exploits this little nook and cranny of martial arts fare the same way that, say, Lady Snowblood does. The story may have been a bit more compelling if the Fourteenth Prince was maybe a bit more morally ambiguous, as seems to be slightly hinted at in the scene introducing him, where it sure appears he's as hungry for power as the Fourth Prince turns out to be.

The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Lady Assassin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 FIlms with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is another fantastic looking restoration that I'm assuming is part of Celestial Pictures' well publicized efforts to gussy up the Shaw Brothers catalog, and the back cover also clarifies that this was culled from the original negative. While detail levels are admittedly just a bit variant both due to some of the evidently unavoidable anamorphic oddities these Shawscope offerings often display, as well as either some intentional diffused or perhaps problematically focused material, where fine detail levels can ebb just slightly. There are some very minimal issues with some of the darker material, where black levels might arguably be improved. But otherwise the palette is really astounding a lot of the time, and the production design and cinematography can often offer a basically nondescript frame that has just one bright, popping element in it, which can make some of the bright reds, blues and yellows in particular really resonate beautifully. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Lady Assassin features LPCM 2.0 Mono in the original Cantonese, though as tends to be the case with many of these Shaw Brothers efforts, it sure looks like at least some of the actors may have been speaking Mandarin on set, as their lip movements come nowhere close to matching the sounds emanating from them. The entire track is admittedly a little boxy and hollow sounding, but scoring in particular is secure, and some of the hyperbolic sound effects during the fight sequences also are quite robust. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From Child Actor to Fight Coordinator (HD; 23:50) is an appealing interview with Poon Kin-Kwan, culled from the apparently ubiquitous archives of Fred Ambroisine. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (SD; 1:17)


• Stills Gallery (HD; 2:58) plays to the film's score.

Additionally this limited edition comes with a slipcase with artwork by Sam Green, as well as a double sided foldout poster (the poster is printed on rather nice double weight paper). The keepcase features a reversible sleeve offering the original Hong Kong art. The back cover verbiage was apparently ported over from 88 Films' simultaneous Region B release, as it mentions this is the first time the film has been available in the UK on Blu-ray.

The Lady Assassin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I frankly laughed out loud at some of the goofier elements offered in this film's fight sequences, and I almost wondered if the venerable Run Run Shaw had perhaps been considering releasing this film in 3-D, since several framings feature either swords or humans erupting straight at the camera which seem to have been designed to deliver "in your face" moments. The fight choreography is really the standout here, and the film probably would have been more memorable had there been less narrative and actually more action. Technical merits are solid (especially video), and the supplements and non disc swag are enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.