THE THOUSAND CRIMES OF MING TSU, written by Tom Lin, expands the horizon of an old fashioned western.

Lin takes the characters that would be forgotten or marginalized in a traditional western and places them right at the center of the story. 

A man raised to kill as a profession embarks on a revenge journey to sort out a lost love. He teams up with a prophet and a traveling magic troupe as its hired protection. 

Ming Tsu, the son of Chinese immigrants, stands out in the old west and carries the burden of fame for his ruthless killings. As the misfits all journey together, it seems we are expected to get on board with a revenge story, but in the end, the journey feels more epic and metaphorical. 

Human nature seems to require that we all face our past and our pain in order to move forward. The Odyssey that Ming, his prophet and his magic troupe endure, allows them to face themselves, their fears, their losses and come to terms with what the future might look like. 

Memories emerge as elusive and bent by time and experience. Thus, the truth presents as slippery as it morphs from memory to dream and back again. In this case, Ming does not see the actual truth until he stares it in the face. Once he does, he is liberated in his potential to start life as the man driven by his own heart. 

There is danger and adventure around every corner of the story. Tom Lin expertly paints the desert and its sunrises and sunsets with the touch of poetry that the west demands.

Ming Tsu was raised in a way where killing was the only solution to every problem. By the end, we hope and feel that even the darkest of souls can be redeemed through truth and love.