When Qi Junyuan was just a boy, his father was tasked with creating a copper map to priceless treasures, but shortly afterwards he and his whole clan were killed for it. Qi Junyuan’s master brought him to Ghost Valley, the most powerful organization of assassins, to become part of their 20th generation of skilled warriors. Over the years Junyuan has proven himself to be one of the four greatest and most devoted assassins in the Valley. Once, when he lost him arm while protecting the Valley, the overlord, Golden Mask, rewarded him with the title of Blue Adira, and gifted him a powerful artifact, The Arm of Asura—a weapon he has come to master.
No one ever found the treasures the map pointed to, and the map itself had been lost over time. However, it has recently resurfaced, and a now-adult Junyuan (William Feng) sees this as an opportunity to finally find out who murdered his family and get his revenge. The political situation in the area is tenuous, with the regions of South Pagaoda and East Mulberry on the brink of war. Leaders on both sides are plotting against each other, looking for ways to get their hands on the map, while also taking out their enemies. As Junyuan tries to carry out his mission, he crosses paths with the beautiful assassin Qin Shengsheng (Chen Jin), who’s on a similar revenge mission of her own. However, Junyuan doesn’t know who he can trust as he finds himself caught up in a complex political conspiracy, and he’s being set up to take the fall. Junyuan is on the run, being hunted down by armies and his fellow skilled assassins, but he is determined to figure out who killed his family, get his revenge, and clear his own name.
At its core, Code of the Assassins is a complex mystery with lots of twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, another character is murdered, or some new shocking piece of information is revealed. The story keeps you engaged and guessing until the end, when everything is finally revealed. As the film starts we are given a rapid rundown of Junyuan’s backstory, how he got his Arm, etc. At first I thought I had missed a previous movie, and this was a recap, but it doesn’t appear that this film is a sequel to anything. That said, I would love to see a prequel film of Junyuan’s earlier time in Ghost Valley!
This is a very action-packed film, with Junyuan taking on assassins, soldiers, and other enemies as he tries to complete his revenge mission. While he sometimes joins forces with others to take down a common enemy, he still doesn’t know who he can truly trust, so he’s really on his own. Fight sequences are very stylistic, speeding things up and slowing things down to accentuate the action and explosions.
Code of the Assassins has a unique visual style. The assassins of Ghost Valley usually wear these creepy golden masks and black hoods. When Qi Junyuan is dressed in this garb, the film will often cut away to a dark void, with more muted sound, allowing us to watch Junyuan’s actions from behind the mask. Technology in the world of the film is very mechanical, especially The Arm of Asura. This weapon is like something out of Inspector Gadget, with the ability to transform into whatever Junyuan needs—whether that’s producing a long sword, shooting a spinning saw blade-like dart, or even launching a fist that can serve as a grappling hook or a projectile weapon. Each time Junyuan activates this Arm, we get a cutaway scene to see its innerworkings as the gears move and transform into the new weapon. Junyuan isn’t the only person with magical weapons. One of the assassins he comes up against can transform into a floating cape that floats like a fog, while another has an umbrella that can spin and shoot darts, serve as a shield, or be used as a sword. At times the movie feels like a magical, fantastical video game, with each new assassin’s name announced on the screen before Junyuan faces off with them.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture remains clean, and clear throughout with a beautiful color pallette. This film makes extensive use of explosions, special effects, and fast and sow motion, but the scenes still look quite natural and detailed throughout. Sometimes I wondered if the film was originally meant to be in 3D. There was only one issue I noticed early on as the camera pans over Ghost Valley and the text/building at the bottom center of the screen looks garbled and distorted for a second. I’m not sure if this is a defect with my disc or the encode, but it was only a blip. The audio track is amazing, with the opening score filling the room right as the film starts. The surround and stereo channels are well-utilized to provide a fully-immersive experience, capturing every explosion, clanking of swords, whizzing of darts, and ratcheting of gears as Junyuan’s Arm transforms. The disc does not offer any English dub option this time around, however, the English subtitles are very well written and most on-screen text is in English.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release is barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go releases as bonus material. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Our review copy did not include any slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:58:11)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Mandarin DTS-HDMA 5.1, Mandarin Stereo
- Subtitles: English
Extras:
- Trailer (1:31)
- Previews
- Legend of Gatotkaca (1:38)
- Project Wolf Hunting (2:18)
- The Grandmaster of Kung Fu (1:17)
Final Thoughts:
Code of the Assassins is an intriguing mystery with lots of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. It’s also an exciting action-packed tale of an assassin looking to avenge his father’s murder, filled with magic, fantasy, amazing fight scenes, and even a little comedy and romance. Well Go’s release looks great and sounds amazing, though doesn’t include any bonus material. However, the release still comes recommended based on the film itself.
Code of the Assassins
32% Off $22.02 $14.99 (as of November 24, 2024 18:44 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Code of the Assassins
$12.99 (as of November 24, 2024 18:44 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
