{ "id": "ep2p4eby5d", "slug": "reign-of-assassins", "title": "Reign of Assassins (剑雨)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Reign of Assassins (剑雨) is a 2010 Mandarin-language wuxia film written and directed by Su Chao-pin, starring Michelle Yeoh as an assassin who leaves her gang.", "snippet": "Reign of Assassins (剑雨) is a 2010 Mandarin-language wuxia film written and directed by Su Chao-pin, starring Michelle Yeoh as an assassin who leaves her gang.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1986-2026", "markdown": "# Reign of Assassins (剑雨)\n\n**Reign of Assassins** (剑雨) is a 2010 Mandarin-language wuxia film written and directed by the Taiwanese filmmaker Su Chao-pin (苏照彬) and produced by [John Woo](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-woo) and Terence Chang, starring [Michelle Yeoh](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-yeoh) as an assassin who abandons her gang after stealing the remains of a legendary monk.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) Although widely known as a John Woo production, Woo served as producer while Su wrote and directed the film.[2](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins) It premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, was nominated for Best Film at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards, and earned Su the Best Director award from the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) • [3](https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2011/1121/ltn20111121337.pdf)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writer | Su Chao-pin; producers John Woo and Terence Chang[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) |\n| Release | 28 September 2010 in China; premiered at the Venice Film Festival[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941) • [1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) |\n| Principal cast | Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-sung, Wang Xueqi, Barbie Hsu, Shawn Yue; Kelly Lin as Drizzle before the character's face change[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) |\n| Runtime | 120 minutes (Hong Kong Film Archive print); 117 minutes in the US-rated version[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/reign-of-assassins) |\n| Box office | $13,388,204 worldwide, of which $9,910,952 from China[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1460743/) |\n| Awards | Best Film nomination, 30th Hong Kong Film Awards; Best Director, 17th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards[3](https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2011/1121/ltn20111121337.pdf) |\n| Countries | China, Hong Kong, Taiwan co-production[2](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story is built on a legend that the remains of the Indian monk [Bodhidharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/bodhidharma) (达摩), which were stolen and split in two after his death, hold the secret to supreme martial arts, so that whoever possesses them could dominate the jianghu, the world of martial artists.[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941) • [7](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hans/Movies/Info/45/) The notorious Dark Stone (黑石) assassin gang, led by the Wheel King (王学圻), raids the residence of a senior official who hides half of the remains, but the gang's top assassin Drizzle (细雨, played by Kelly Lin) absconds with the relic, prompting the Wheel King to put a bounty on her.[7](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hans/Movies/Info/45/) • [1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html)\n\nDrizzle is enlightened by the monk Lu Zhu (李宗翰), resolves to forsake violence, and has her face surgically altered, taking the name Zeng Jing (曾静), played by Michelle Yeoh.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) She settles in a small town, marries the honest messenger Jiang Ah-sheng (郑雨盛, [Jung Woo-sung](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-woo-sung)), and tries to live as a shopkeeper, but her former comrades come for the remains, and the truth about her husband's own hidden past emerges as the fighting begins.[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941) • [8](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Reign_of_Assassins?hl=en_US&id=INdpO5pcd1A.P) Terence Chang described the resulting film as \"Face/Off meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith\".[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html)\n\n## Production\n\n**Casting and authorship.** Terence Chang, who had worked with Michelle Yeoh at D & B Films and later helped place her in *Tomorrow Never Dies* (1997), *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), and *Memoirs of a Geisha* (2005), had long wanted to produce a wuxia film tailored for her, and *Reign of Assassins* fulfilled that plan; it also brought Yeoh back to Chinese-language cinema after more than a decade focused on Hollywood, and was her first Chinese-language action film in seven years.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) • [4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941) Chang secured the investors and cast the Korean star Jung Woo-sung, whom he had been unable to work with on *Red Cliff* (2008), as the male lead.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html)\n\nSu Chao-pin said at the Venice press conference that his earlier script had a male protagonist, but that he reworked it when the chance to work with Yeoh arose, noting that women in Chinese wuxia cinema had usually been subordinate characters; Yeoh contributed suggestions to the role.[9](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-04/00353075700.shtml) Woo, who received that year's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice, was explicit about authorship: \"this is Su Chao-pin's film; I mainly acted as producer,\" while offering suggestions on romantic framing such as freeze frames and slow motion.[9](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-04/00353075700.shtml) Woo also explained that the title was changed because Yeoh's character's name is connected with \"rain\".[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941)\n\n**Crew and financing.** The Taiwan yearbook credits action choreography to Stephen Tung (董瑋), cinematography to Horace Wong (黃永恆), production design to Yang Baigui, costume design to Emi Wada (和田惠美), and music to Peter Kam (金培達).[10](https://www.tfai.org.tw/Content/TFI/PublicInfo/%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1%E5%B9%B4%E9%91%912011%E5%B9%B4.pdf) • [2](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins) Presenters included Media Asia, Beijing Galloping Horse Films, Gamania Digital Entertainment, and Lumiere Motion Picture, with Lion Rock Productions as the production company.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html) • [2](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins) Woo set aside firearms for cold weapons, and the main characters fight with swords.[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe film opened in China on 28 September 2010, followed by releases in South Korea on 14 October 2010 (344 screens, 312,335 admissions) and Hong Kong on 7 October 2010.[4](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941) • [11](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20100979) • [7](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hans/Movies/Info/45/) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records $13,388,204 worldwide, with China contributing $9,910,952, South Korea $1,987,796, Singapore $540,832, and smaller totals elsewhere; it earned no domestic (US) release in its original run.[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1460743/)\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 67% Tomatometer from 9 critics and a 70% audience score.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jianyu_2010) Critics were divided: Peter Bradshaw of *The Guardian* gave it 2/5 and called it run-of-the-mill, while Owen Williams of *Empire* gave 4/5, praising the fight sequences and \"surprisingly affecting character moments\".[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jianyu_2010) The International Film Festival Rotterdam program noted that the film returns to old-style wuxia while packing in references to the plots and conventions of wuxia novels, and praised Yeoh's performance and Stephen Tung's choreography as both tough and gentle.[2](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins)\n\n## Awards\n\nAt the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2011 the film was nominated for Best Film, and Su Chao-bin won Best Director at the 17th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, which also named it a Film of Merit.[3](https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2011/1121/ltn20111121337.pdf) • [1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Reign of Assassins, Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/pe-event-2024-ckc-fs-film04.html)\n2. [Reign of Assassins, International Film Festival Rotterdam 2011](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/2011/films/reign-of-assassins)\n3. [eSun Holdings 2011 annual report, Film Awards section](https://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2011/1121/ltn20111121337.pdf)\n4. [剑雨, Baidu Baike](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E5%89%91%E9%9B%A8/4152941)\n5. [Reign of Assassins streaming page, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/reign-of-assassins)\n6. [Reign of Assassins (2010), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1460743/)\n7. [剑雨, Media Asia film page](https://www.mediaasia.com/Zh-hans/Movies/Info/45/)\n8. [Reign of Assassins, Google Play Movies listing](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Reign_of_Assassins?hl=en_US&id=INdpO5pcd1A.P)\n9. [吴宇森要拍自己的武侠片：《剑雨》是苏照彬的, Sina Entertainment, 4 September 2010](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-09-04/00353075700.shtml)\n10. [2011 Taiwan Cinema Yearbook, Taiwan Film Institute](https://www.tfai.org.tw/Content/TFI/PublicInfo/%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1%E5%B9%B4%E9%91%912011%E5%B9%B4.pdf)\n11. [Reign of Assasins (2010), Korean Film Council database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20100979)\n12. [Reign of Assassins (2010), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jianyu_2010)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Martial arts films › Released 1986 to 2026*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Reign of Assassins (剑雨)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Reign of Assassins (剑雨)](https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins](https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Reign of Assassins (剑雨)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Reign of Assassins is a 2010 Mandarin-language wuxia film written and directed by Su Chao-pin, starring Michelle Yeoh as an assassin who leaves her gang." }