There was a time not long ago when having John Woo’s name on a film would generate instant excitement, but after a string of mediocre American action films throughout the ’90s and early 2000s; it looked like his career was running out of steam for good. Then came the release of Red Cliff, which seemed to prove that the problem wasn’t with John Woo, but with Hollywood — big surprise. Now John Woo is co-directing and co-producing another action movie originating from his homeland of China called Reign of Assassins, and an early promo trailer has found its way online.

The movie stars Michelle Yeoh as a retired assassin who just can’t escape her former life. The film seems to take on a more traditional martial arts action with a slice of romance on the side. This is apparently quite different from the Hong Kong gangster flicks that Woo is best known for. Of course, he is serving primarily as a mentor to writer-director Chao-Bin Su (Silk), so it’s hard to say how much influence he will have on the film. The movie co-stars Woo-sung Jung (The Good, The Bad, The Weird), one of the most clever film I’ve seen in years. It also stars Barbie Hsu, Kelly Lin, and John Woo’s daughter Angeles. The film is expected to be released sometime this fall but there is a good chance that you may see it sooner at TIFF in September.

Check out the trailer and tell me what you think.