This is one I had heard about years ago but somehow never got around to. So thrilled to have changed that. This is what a good, old fashioned Wuxia movie is all about in terms of honest to goodness kick ass action. None of that flying on roof top, slow motion improbable and technology assisted acrobatics that we are routinely served up with these days. Nothing but extremely well choreographed, intensive, nail bitingly lethal swordplay up close and personal. Wow - they really don't make it like this anymore.

The plot isn't complicated - it is about how three highly skilled Imperial Assassins get caught up in a gripping yet relatively straightforward political conspiracy that puts them in mortal danger. They are a bit of a Chinese Three Musketeers with a dark side as they risk their lives for a pittance and are unable to fulfill their deepest personal desires. They are not your traditional virtuous wuxia heroes but they live by their own moral code. Shen Lian (Chang Chen) is the most deadly and most morally ambiguous of the three. Chang Chen pulls off this complex role exceptionally well, subtly conveying deep and varied emotions underneath an intense, brooding and taciturn demeanour. Zhou Yi Wei also brilliantly pulls off another grey character. In fact, many of the cast have delivered wonderful performances in key roles in many recent hit dramas. The only exception is Ethan Li's rather unmemorable performance as the more care free youngest brother Jin Yi Chuan. This actor has since regressed and gone on to weigh down a few otherwise very strong dramas for me. (Why does he still get work?). I also was under impressed by the romance element of the story - this role was not well written and not well acted. That made Shen Lian's infatuation with her not relate-able and one reason I haven't rated this more highly. That said, this is not really a romance and I thoroughly enjoyed this so definitely if like me you never got round to this, now is the time.