‘The Assassin’ is a visual knockout set in ancient China

Starring Shu Qi, Chang Che and Sheu Fang-Yi. Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. In Mandarin, with English subtitles.

Unrated but for mature audiences (contains stylized violence). Check listings for theaters. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Bottom line: Visuals overwhelm story but film is unforgettable

A figure in black glides wordlessly through the landscapes of “The Assassin.” It’s a young woman, wearing a long black coat and an unreadable expression. In her hand is a wicked-looking curved knife. In her heart is conflict.

Named Nie Yinniang (Shu Qi), she’s been trained since childhood in the art of killing. “The Assassin” is the story of a killer experiencing a crisis of conscience.

“Your heart lacks resolve,” her mentor (Sheu Fang-Yi), a nun with a lethal political agenda, diagnoses when Nie Yinniang spares the life of a high-level official designated for death by the nun. As punishment, she’s dispatched to kill a man to whom she was long ago betrothed. Do or die.

Set in ninth-century China, “The Assassin” is a picture of breathtaking beauty. Filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien, in collaboration with director of photography Mark Lee Ping Bing, has so rigorously composed his shots that every frame looks like a painting — a still-life painting in many instances. Shots are held for extended periods, inviting the viewer to sink deeply into them.

Images of mists rising toward mountain peaks; of a delicately choreographed knife duel in a forest of gleaming silver birches; of the woman in black, partially obscured behind gossamer curtains, silently watching, waiting — all beguile the eye.

The visuals relegate the acting to secondary importance. They overwhelm the story. And they make “The Assassin” unforgettable.