One of the few foreign language features to enter my mailbox this year.

The Assassin

Stars: Qi Shu, Chen Chang, Satoshi Tsumabuki
Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Premise: From IMDb: “An assassin accepts a dangerous mission to kill a political leader in seventh-century China.”
Oscar Chances: Good: While it may not be much of a contender for Oscar consideration outside of Best Foreign Language film, at least in its dominant category it has a better than average shot at a nomination.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Foreign Language Film (Taiwan)
• Best Director (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
• Best Cinematography (Mark Lee Ping-Bin)
• Best Production Design (no one listed)

Rotten Tomatoes:
83% (63 critics; as of 11/29/15)
Metacritic:
80 out of 100 (26 critics; as of 11/29/15)