Assassins

"ASSASSINS relies on lawyers' proofs, journalists' notes to elucidate and earmarks most of its volume following the trial of the two female "assassins" (one Indonesian, one Vietnamese), which is at first designated as a show trial, with pencil sketches in lieu of actual court footage. While it is clear as day those two girls are duped, they were led to think they were merely performing a video prank, what sticks in one's throat is that the Malaysian legislature is resolute to use these two innocent pawns as the whipping boy, which really stokes one's indignation. Then turnabouts crop up, indignation subsides, but justice is far from prevailing, instead one can only wheeze out a dispiriting resignation when it is up to political pressure to exculpate the voiceless and downtrodden. Plus, one advise, girls, please smarten up, retaining some common sense in whatever gainful activity you are pursuing."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.

The subject of this documentary is definitely one of those cases of truth being stranger than fiction. I won't go into the details of the story, as this is a film you should approach knowing as little as possible about in order to maximise the surprise and tension generated by its twisting and turning narrative, but broadly it concerns the assassination of a North Korean exile and the subsequent trial of those accused of his murder. The documentary is very well constructed, with the information on the various individuals involved being slowly drip fed, flash back style, over the events of the trial itself. It has the pacing and structure of a classic 70s spy thriller - although this plot is so outlandish it would be deemed preposterous if it weren't actual true. The access to the various participants is excellent & the makers have gathered a wealth of video from CCTV, news & social media to supplement their own footage, so as a viewer it never feels like you are being short changed. It is all very one sided; its clear where the filmmaker's sympathies lie, but then again the North Koreans were never going to participate in a film like this. All in all this documentary is every bit as enjoyable as a regular drama / thriller & keeps you on the edge of your seat right until the end - I would highly recommend it.

This is the best true crime doc I have seen in a long time. While the genre is crowded and many many of the "shocking" documentaries are sensationalized, this one truly is bizarre. Kept me engaged the entire time.

A true spy story that is stranger than fiction. Gives a good overview of tensions in North Korea and among the ruling dynasty. Even for those unfamiliar with the subject, this will grab ahold of you and not let go for the duration.

There are some answers left unanswered and justice has not been served, but it paints a clear picture of what happened and why. Really excellent!

I've just finished this fantastic documentary and was totally enthralled...in fact I'm so impressed I'm keeping this review short because I want you to go see it...brilliant!

The pace of this film is like a crime thriller. And it gets you emotionally engaged but also engaged in terms of thrill. You want the girls to do well. And time and again, the idea that women pay for the crimes and power trips of men comes to mind. Thoroughly enjoyed the film and went home thinking about a lot.