A look at John Woo’s next with the Reign of Assassins trailer

John Woo’s been gone from Hollywood for a few years now, and since then he’s produced some of his best work in ages with RED CLIFF. Now he’s sticking with what he knows with REIGN OF ASSASSINS, and we have a first look at the project with this new promo reel.

It has a very, very CROUCHING TIGER-like feel

to it, not just since Michelle Yeoh is present and kicking ass, but because it features a fair amount of wire work like we saw in that film and the many others like it.

You can check out the trailer below, and the official, very long plot synopsis below that. No comment on the subtitles that have been captured in my screenshot there.

428AD, Bodhi, a Southern India prince became a Buddhist monk and set off for China, earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappeared.

Hundreds of years later, Zhang, a high-ranking court official, is assassinated by Drizzle. Zhang’s son Jingxiu, whilst mourning his father’s death, is assailed by a group assassins. They leave him for dead, but somehow he survives and escapes their clutches.

Drizzle, a talented warrior herself, finds herself in possession of Bodhi’s remains, and begins her quest to return them to their rightful resting place at Yunhe Temple. The Black Stone, a team of deadly assassins who employed Drizzle, are also after the remains and the powerful secret they hold. To hide from The Black Stone, Drizzle undergoes drastic facial surgery and changes her name to Zeng Jing (Michelle Yeoh). She flees to Beijing, where she meets and falls in love with Jiang, soon to become her husband. After a confrontation in Beijing, Zeng Jing’s identity is uncovered and both she and Jiang must flee for their lives. As Zeng Jing kills off members of the gang while they are on the run, she quickly realizes Jiang is actually Jingxiu, and he is seeking to avenge his father’s death. This leads to a lethal triangle and a fight to death between our hero Zeng Jing, Jiang and The Black Stone.

The only question remains who will be the last ones standing to uncover the secret of Bodhi’s remains?