← Back to results
A Writer's Odyssey
刺杀小说家
2021 130 min China R 18+
★6.9
Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Drama
Director: Zhuang Jieqiong, Yang Lu
Trailers
Description
Lu Kongwen is the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager, also named Kongwen, on a quest to end the tyrannical rule of Lord Redmane, under the guidance of a Black Armor. But through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning to accept a mission from Tu Ling to kill the author.
US Gross:
$160,013
Worldwide:
$150.12M
Starring
Jiayin Lei
Actor
Mi Yang
Actor
Zijian Dong
Actor
Awards
Asian Film Academy 2021
— Best Production Design
Asian Film Academy 2021
— Best Visual Effects
Key opinion
Assassin in Red (A Writer's Odyssey) is a visually ambitious fantasy that skillfully blends modern-day corporate intrigue with a lush, mythological world. While viewers praise the high-end production design and creative world-building, the film is frequently criticized for its uneven screenplay and a narrative that fails to fully capitalize on its philosophical potential.
| Production | The film features spectacular visual effects and world-building that successfully bridge ancient Chinese mythology with modern aesthetics. | |
| Emotion | The central father-daughter relationship serves as a grounding emotional anchor for the film's complex, dual-reality narrative. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is widely seen as overstuffed and underdeveloped, squandering its unique concept with an overreliance on banal tropes. | |
| Direction | Opinions on the action sequences are split: while some praise the high-octane spectacle of the chase scenes and boss battles, others find the majority of the combat repetitive or lackluster. | |
| Ending | The narrative trajectory is divisive, starting with an intriguing, unpredictable premise that ultimately devolves into a predictable and simplified conclusion. |