The Emperor and the Assassin (1998) User Reviews (60)

Chinese history with a Shakespearean twist

[senortuffy · 8/10 · 23 June 2003]

This is an epic film about the unification of the ancient kingdoms of China in the third century BC. What makes it interesting is the tragic downfall of the king and all the palace intrigue going on around him. It reminded me a bit of "King Lear" and some of the other Shakespeare plays.

The king starts out with noble ambitions, to unify the kingdoms under one ruler and to stop all the quarrelling so that the people can prosper and lead better lives. He and his childhood sweetheart, played beautifully by Li Gong, concoct a scheme whereby she pretends to go into exile in a rival kingdom in order to recruit an assassin to kill the king, thus giving him a pretext to go to war. But while she's away, the king becomes sadistic in his lust for power and goes on a killing spree.

There are numerous side plots that keep the action going. There is the Marquis, who pretends to be stupid and foppish but who's really very clever and wants to become king himself. He fathers two children with the king's mother and manages to keep it secret for years. Then there is the Prime Minister, a political rival to the king, who turns out to really be his father.

The assassin is a complex character himself. An adept swordsman and killer, he is undergoing a reformation when the king's lover comes to recruit him. He wants nothing more with killing, but is eventually won over by Li Gong (who wouldn't be?) when he sees how cruel and vicious the king has become.

Some spectacular cinematography, especially the battle scenes that are carried out on a grand scale - like they used to say, a cast of thousands, literally. The acting is OK, nothing special. It's the story that's interesting, though at over two and a half hours, it pushes the limit.

Definitely worth viewing.

The Emperor and the Assassin, sure, but don't forget Lady Zhao!

[Junker-2 · 8/10 · 15 October 2000]

This is an excellent film. No, it's not Mel Gibson in "Braveheart," but then, it's not trying to be. Actually, "The Emperor and the Assassin" probably has (thankfully) more in common with a Shakespearean production than a Hollywood blockbuster.

In the third century BC, the King of Qin is attempting to unite (in other words "conquer") the seven kingdoms of China. He has already overthrown the Kingdom of Han. Now he needs an excuse to invade the Kingdom of Yan.

This is where the Lady Zhao comes in. She and the King have been friends since childhood. They are obviously very much in love, but cannot marry for political reasons. Together they devise a plot. She will pretend to have fallen into disfavor with the King and escape to Yan. Once there she will convince the Prince of Yan to send an assassin back to kill the King. When the assassination fails, the King will have his excuse to invade Yan.

Once in Yan, however, Lady Zhao begins to reconsider. Hearing and seeing more and more examples of her old childhood friend's ruthlessness, she begins to wonder if the King may need to be assassinated for real.

One sure sign that you're not watching a Hollywood production is the final encounter between the King and the assassin. Unlike a Hollywood movie where the hero and villain are clearly defined and the final outcome already predetermined, this is a fight that could truly go either way.

This is a well crafted and well acted story of a tumultuous time in Chinese history. There is a mixture of both incredible beauty and incredible ugliness. Most beautiful of all, however, is Gong Li as the Lady Zhao. I grow more and more convinced every time I see her that Gong Li is the most beautiful woman in the world.

I must say, however, that she does have one unintentionally funny line in this film. Early on Gong Li asks one of her servants "Do I have a beautiful face?"

Duh!!!

A compelling epic

[allyjack · 8/10 · 16 September 1999]

This three-hour Chinese epic, set in 220 B.C., may ultimately amount to a familiar theme of an Emperor's idealistic dream of peace through unification mutating into corrupted isolation, and there's nothing inherently challenging about the film, but it's a compelling narrative, crammed with intrigue and passion and betrayal and epic events told in vivid strokes. Even for those not drawn to such historical spectacles for their own sake, it's an astonishing feast for the eyes: the scene depicting the coup attempt of the Marquis is one of the most staggering evocations of physical space and grandeur in memory, and the battle scenes are memorable both in their scope and their immediacy. The title sums up the film's use of compelling contrasts - huge plainland vistas set against intimate horrors; the noblest of motives set against the most degraded; hope turning to dust. If you've never seen a three-hour Chinese epic, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

Historic Epic that blows away "Patriot" or "Gladiator"

[scipio7 · 10 December 2000]

After seeing dressed up action films, like the two mentioned above, Emperor and the Assassin was a godsend. This film was such a marvelous blend of action, intrigue, and personality, and I'm sure I'll see it again and again in years to come.

Some of the complaints about the movie have been the golden/brown tint and the quick, disorienting editing. However, I loved both of these qualities in the movie, though the editing did take some time to get used to. A great example of it, is when we're introduced to Jing Ke, the assassin. He is offered an assignment for five thousand, and we see a close up of his face as he demands ten thousand. The next shot shows him with sword drawn, in the house of his victims. That whole introduction to the assassin was marvelously edited, in my opinion. You have to realize that in order to fit the epic plot into just under three hours, a lot of tiny details needed to be cut out. The quick editing also makes the movie seem much shorter than it really is.

Someone said that the swordfighting in the movie (what little of it there was) seemed like high school drama, but I strongly disagree. Most of the action is captured in a few shots, making it seem much more realistic. In so many american films, we see a a flash of a dozen close ups, without getting a feel for what is even happening! Also, the constant use of slow motion in many movies gets so old. By having the fighting in this movie fast and furious, it is much more affecting.

I won't give away the ending, but it was really suspenseful and surprising. I had no idea what would happen (being unfamiliar with Chinese history helped), and was on the edge of my seat! So, to conclude, if you like sweeping historical epics, make sure to see this! I really like the films of Kurosawa, and saw some similarities here, so also if you like his movies, see this!!

Better upon second viewing

[vincentywang · 7/10 · 18 November 2002]

Chen Kaige lost his sense of tempo. I envy Europeans and Americans who can watch the film without following the dialog with their ears, because it is painful to do: slow, unnaturally heavy, and over-deliberate. But Westerners, on the other hand, suffer from the poor quality of subtitle translation, which manages to lose all the subtlety and double meanings that make a careful study of the film so much fun.

Astounding acting, photography, story

[oaksong · 10/10 · 30 January 2003]

I've read some grumbles about the court scenes. These people betray their ignorance. This production went to simply amazing lengths to recreate all aspects of the period in which the story occurred. Courtly manners are something few people outside the court ever see. While the acting may appear highly stylized, it is, in fact, as close a replication as possible of the behavior of individuals in their particular stations as the director could create. The actor's facial expressions are a marvel, particularly the duplicitous Marquis Changxin and the King's mother.

There are, of course, reflections of both Greek and Shakespearian tragedy in the relationship between the king, his parents and his love. The juxtaposition of the king transforming from good to bad and the assassin from bad to good provides much food for thought on the evolution of an individual's nature. This movie would provide much to ponder in a college course on the humanities.

At the same time, it almost rushes along, even in the slowest scenes heading towards an inexorable denouement. One suspects the involvement of large portions of the troop movements, which were quite awesome. It makes The Lord of the Rings battle scenes pale by comparison. Few directors have the ability to literally field thousands of humans on the field of battle just for art's sake. I recall one scene in which at least 30,000 troops can be seen moving across a huge plain. The logistics for such a shot would have been staggering.

I could go on... but simply, I can't recommend this film highly enough.

The story of Qin without Jet Li

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 12 July 2007]

The story of pre-unified China must be a popular one. Jet Li's Hero made the assassination of the King popular.

This is another story made a few years earlier. It stars the incredibly beautiful Li Gon (Memoirs of a Geisha, 2046, Miami Vice) as the King's lover, who was sent to recruit an assassin so that the King could defeat him. She recruits Fengyi Zhang, but falls in love with him.

No matter, he is not able to complete the mission anyway, as the King knew about him beforehand. I suspected he also knew, but went anyway.

It was a beautiful story with massive military operations, and, of course, another chance to see Li Gong.

Excellent epic film.

[paulcreeden · 9/10 · 31 January 2001]

I will admit my ignorance of this film's existence, until I saw it advertised on a cable outlet. I was very impressed with the novelistic structure of the film. The film, which is in a language I do not understand, shone with intelligence and nuance for me. I think this speaks to the film's quality. It was visually stunning. The acting was visually entrancing. The Chinese theater traditions of movement, used to enhance the delivery of dialogue, is so compelling after watching Western film, where actors traditionally focus more heavily on the dialogue. The action in this film comes right at you, without a lot of explosions to get your attention. It is human action that is so affective here. The added advantage that the film taught me history about one of the world's greatest tourist attractions, the funereal clay army of China's First Qin Emporer, was very impressive. It seemed to give the film an international relevance beyond the film's great ethical themes. This is a film I can comfortably recommend to a wide variety of friends and acquaintances.

fhsjkhslghskdhgs;l (subtitled: A Wonderful Flick)

[markahr1 · 7/10 · 22 January 2000]

I went in to this movie with very low expectations, (I knew nothing about it) and I was pleasantly suprised. This film had a very good plot and some cool action scenes and good cinematography. I'm not used to seeing this good of quality foreign films, (actually this was my first) and I hope to see plenty more!

Love, death and moral choices in a historical epic of China

[Linda-21 · 9/10 · 24 December 1999]

Based on the actual event , this epic, is set in the year 221 B.C and tells the true story of the unification of China. Action packed and filled with intrigue, passion, betrayals and unforgettable battle sequences, it held my attention throughout in spite of its 160 minute length.

The king, Ying Zeng, played by Li Xuejian is obsessed with unifying the seven kingdoms of China and becoming its first Emperor. His lover, Lady Zhao, played by the beautiful actress Gong Li, devises a plot whereby she will travel to the neighboring kingdom of Yan to set a fake assassination plot in motion which will give the king an excuse to invade Yan. However, she falls in love with the assassin as the king becomes more and more ruthless.

There are subplots, and tragedy and constant high drama. There are scenes of great beauty and of abject cruelty. There is great cinematography and brilliant use of physical space.

The deep characterization made me think of Shakespeare. And tragic events that call to mind Greek drama. And yet it is totally Chinese as it deals with age-old questions of whether the ends justify the means. And raises the questions dealing with life and death and good and evil and all the blurred edges in between.

It is the story of individuals against the backdrop of history, a history that has shaped China for the past two thousand years. I was swept up in the story as well as the moral questions raised. There are no easy answers and this was one of the strengths of the movie.

Recommended. But be prepared for the violence and gore.

Average

[mighty_pickman · 6/10 · 14 February 2004]

Average attempt at a grand epic. Sadly the film is overly long, unnecessary slow, especially at the beginning & ending "chapters" of the film.

The biggest disappointment of the film had to be the editing. It was quite poor in parts & if it was part of the "visual style" of the film, then it was totally unnecessary.

That said still worth at least a look

Understated Power on Film

[Anth-8 · 10/10 · 5 July 2000]

After watching the movie a few times, I found so many subtle touches and emotions within the dialogue. Jing Ke, the Assassin has become one of favorite movie characters of all time. This fine Chinese actor says more with his eyes and his economy of words and movements then any big screen American actor today. Qin, the Emperor, is brilliant as he leads the audience to believe the kindness in his heart, only to unleash the most cruel acts upon the people around him. The promises he makes with incredible passion and shattered with an evil fist. Gong Li, as in just about every movie I've ever seen her in, is simply fantastic. Her screen dominance is so graceful and emotionally charged.

In case you couldn't tell, I loved this movie.

An interesting historical Chinese movie in hollywoodish dimensions

[Firas · 7/10 · 27 November 2000]

Principally the movie is interesting to see. Nevertheless it was a bit too long (163 minutes). Although it was sometimes important to show the historical, psychological and personal backgrounds of the protagonists it might have been better if it were shorter. The acting of all actors was very good convincing. Like many other Chinese movies huge palaces and plains covered with Hundreds of soldiers have been shown. It is as well a quite interesting photography as usual in the movies of Chen Kaige. Anyhow I must say that I was a bit disappointed. As I read in an article they said that frequently Chinese directors make films of the past trying to criticize the present without irritating the censors in their country. In this movie I could not find any relation to the present of China. Perhaps because I am not Chinese! That is why the movie was simply a historical one telling the story of a brutal king who united China to the first time under his flag. It might be good for the common knowledge but it is not that quite interesting for the fantasy! Therefore I can see it was not big artistic pleasure for me.

Disappointing

[joelmp · 4/10 · 4 August 2002]

Very disappointing, especially after seeing the director's "Farewell My Concubine", which is a masterpiece. This film is overlong and ultimately tedious. Gong Li delivers a wonderful performance, as always. And some of the battle scenes are original and breathtaking. The actor who plays the Marquis is also riveting, and the film holds your interest during his part of the film. But after a while the film feels like a lecture on what tragedies are committed in the name of noble causes. And the Shakespearian intensity feels forced and pedantic. For a much more cinematic treatment of the same period, see "The Emperor's Shadow". And, of course, "Ran".

Compared to Farewell My Concubine, it does not reach that level

[Sean-122 · 21 August 1999]

Chen Kiage (Farewell My Concubine) and Zhang Yimou (Red Sorghum, To Live) have been always considered two of the greatest director of modern China cinema history. This time Chen took three years after his previous film and came back with a movie about the first Chinese emperor Qin and his legendary story with a woman he loves, his adversary and an assassin in very ancient China of 221 BC. Assassin Jingke stab emperor Qin is a well know story that nearly every Chinese know it so well. Assassin Jingke was considered a biggest hero in the history for his great sacrifice spirit and the brave suicide assassination, although his action was failed. Zhang Fengyi is one of my favorite actor (I like his performance in Farewell my concubine), his assassin Jinke is silent and full of passion in the heart, that is convincing. Li Xuejian is honorable actor but just miscast here, His King Qin is always with tears in his eyes and feels miserable. I can not understand why Chen decides to make this most tyranny emperor in the Chinese history always crying. The most attractive role in the movie is Marquis Changxin, he married Qin's mother and most time he looks like idiot but actually he has his own ambitious plan. Marquis Changxin is convincingly played by Wang Zhiwen, I like him so much.

The movie do have some memorable moments, one is Jingke took a assignment to kill the whole family of ironsmith, but when he facing the angelic blind daughter of ironsmith, he cannot do his job. Late, the daughter killed herself. That event had a biggest influence for the rest of Jingke's life, also a big impact for the audience.

The movie has some most popular Chinese comedian (Pan Changjiang for prison officer and Zhao Benshan for Gao Jianli) for the friendly cameo, when they appears in the screen, audience shout and smiled. This would not happened when this movie is showed in country outside China.

I don't know if it is the biggest budget film in China, but it is surely one of them. They built Qin's palace especially for this movie and now becomes a tourist sight. It is near my city. I didn't go there but my father did. He said it is great building.

Overall, this is the excellent movie for the people like ancient Chinese costume and culture. The photography is very beautiful. Compared to the greatest "Farewell My Concubine", Chen does not make it reach that level. I give it *** for the rate from * to ****.

Neat view of China history

[smakawhat · 7/10 · 27 May 2000]

Quite a production from the director telling the story of The Qin Emperor's ambitious plan to unite all kingdoms of China. Some great characters, sets, costumes and scenes. However, I was not blown away by the film in terms of the actors ability (which was good I enjoyed the Marquis the most) or its look (although the massing of troops was extremely impressive, if it was real man that is a lot of extras!).

I have seen Li Gong in other movies and she is always great. Good period piece I think, but not one to judge the true historical accuracy of it. Good film and found the 2 1/2 + hours not a problem.

Rating 7 out of 10.

Certainly not disappointing

[trocky88 · 8/10 · 1 January 2005]

For a feature film, the plot closely follows history--or at least historical gossip. But then the Chinese, who know the story very well from seeing it portrayed again and again, would never tolerate it otherwise. The attention to detail is wonderful, especially for anyone who has read Sima Qian's account in the Records of the Historian. Jing Ke, according to Sima Qian, did indeed make an attempt on Qin Shi Huang's life at the request of the Crown Prince of Yan before unification. Sima Qian explicitly mentions both the head of General Fan and the dagger rolled up into the map, as well as the dagger being thrown into the brass column. Although Jing Ke is described as no stranger to swordplay, he's hardly the invincible warrior portrayed by Chen Kaige. Jing Ke is indeed this film's weakest link. In reality (again, according to Sima Qian), he was a heavy drinker and put off his visit to Qin for as long as possible, spending a good deal of time with the ladies of Yan before the crown prince finally ordered him on his way. He was, in short, a human being and was not looking forward to death although he was willing to accept it. Chen Kaige's Jing Ke is afraid of death, but not his own. He is the classic ruthless killer turned disillusioned pacifist. His love (or maybe just affection) for a woman and pity for several hundred children whom Zheng had buried alive (not even two thousand years of hostile Confucian historians claimed Qin Shi Huang did this, although there is a legend about him burying 460 Confucians up to their necks and then beheading them)is enough to make this former assassin kill again. The melodrama is not convincing and the character ends up being just plain boring. The acting here isn't shabby, though not very interesting given the character. As for Lady Zhou, in all the numerous stories I've heard about Qin Shi Huang, she's never come up. Anyway, Gong Li is famous enough for Americans to have heard of her (thanks to Zhang Yimou) and there needed to be a love interest, so here she is. It's unfortunate that her performance is almost as wooden as Jing Ke's character. She's done much better (in Qiu Ju for example) at being subtle; here she just barely manages presence. But all of this is trivial compared to the extraordinary acting of Li Xuejian as Zheng himself. Qin Shi Huang is for the Chinese rather what Milton's Satan is for us: accepted as a villain, but a noble one. Qin Shi Huang's accomplishments radiate an awe all the way across two thousand years into the present and Li captures his frightening will without compromising his humanity. Li's performance is enough, but the scope of the film is grand although the photography is purposely drab. It does feel ancient. The score is adequate, scarcely moving though very appropriate to the action. Though I've only seen it once, I believe that Chen Kaige should be given more credit for his camera work than other reviewers have allowed him. The opening credits are exhilarating. If five stars its absolutely average, I given three more for Li Xuejian's acting and Chen Kaige as an actor, writer, and director.

Disappointing

[eliane-4 · 7/10 · 24 August 2000]

I walked into 'The Emperor and the Assassin' expecting to see a great film. I love Chinese movies, know a fair bit about Chinese history, and I'd seen the trailer, which looked simply glorious. Yet somehow the film failed to deliver, and I left the cinema feeling that Chen Kaige should be sent back to film school. Allow me to explain why...

First of all, the dialogues are awful. Chinese people have a tendency to answer simple, personal questions with pseudo-philosophical generalizations about the state of the world, and in Chen Kaige's films this habit takes on worrisome proportions. In 'The Emperor and the Assassin' the rhetoric is such that it distracts from the story rather than enrich it. It's as if someone forgot to tell Chen that dialogue is supposed to illustrate things, not to make them more obscure! I had a quick look at my non-Chinese-speaking fellow cinema-goers every now and then, and the look on their faces told me they had no idea what was going on. I, who do speak Chinese, didn't fare much better. To be sure, I could grasp the main plot line (ambitious king allows his wife to help his enemy hire an assassin to murder him, so that he has an excuse to attack the enemy's kingdom, and she falls in love with him), but even so I had the feeling about half of the story was escaping me. Surely that wasn't Chen's intention...

Secondly, Chen should have infused some warmth into the film. I'm not at all into American-style honey-let-me-give-you-a-hug-type characterization, but a bit of that wouldn't have gone amiss in this remarkably cold, sterile film. As it is, one spends nearly three hours hours watching a bunch of psychos who may have redeeming features but for whom one somehow doesn't care. This is NOT the actors' fault. As other reviewers have noted, the acting is top-notch - truly first-rate. Rather, it's the director and the screenwriter's fault. It's hard to root for characters who are given such unintelligible dialogues...

Last but not least, the cuts. A previous reviewer mentioned that the cuts in this film are rather distracting. I would go so far as to say they're the worst cuts I've ever seen. I can see Chen's need to cut his long story short (it really is too long!), but what's the use of hiring a brilliant cinematographer like Zhao Fei if you're going to ruin his work in the cutting room? Better planning/story-boarding would have prevented this, and would have made 'The Emperor and the Assassin' the visual feast the trailer promised it would be.

Mind you, the above is not to say that 'The Emperor and the Assassin' is a bad film. On the contrary, it's a well-acted epic with some amazing set pieces and some even more impressive photography, albeit with nasty cuts. Even at its most pretentious and sterile worst 'The Emperor and the Assassin' is preferable to much of the excrement Hollywood has produced in the past few years. It just could have been so much better, so much more enthralling. Chen Kaige really ought to go back to film school and learn how to tell a story again. Either that, or he should talk to his old partner-in-crime Zhang Yimou, who knows how to tell a story AND how to do justice to Zhao Fei's camera work. I relish the thought of what Zhang would have done with this story...

A spectacular Chinese period masterpiece!

[nwdrummer · 9/10 · 16 March 2000]

The Emperor and the Assassin (w/English Subtitles) at 161 minutes is long, but the time is packed with a story that barely fits into it. Golden hued palace scenes and dusty yellow panoramas of Chinese landscapes background a true story of China's unifying King, circa 300 BCE. An intricate plot with a myriad twists and turns is played out with excellent portrayals by the cast. King Qin's simple wish for a unified Empire for his common people is fulfilled, but not without treachery, plots and counter plots and oh yes, bodies. Lots of bodies. This epic story of China's beginnings is a great way for Westerners to glimpse little known Asian history. Emperor Qin's legacies include the thousands of life-size terra-cotta figures which are still being excavated today. As an historical person, this film makes it clear that Emperor Qin should be regarded along with George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Julius Caesar, to name a few of the world's greatest conquerors/statesmen. I highly recommend seeing The Emperor and the Assassin, especially on the big screen.

Good drama and spectacle: a little hard to follow, but enjoyable for historical and cultural viewpoints.

[Bob A-2 · 6/10 · 27 December 1999]

Saw The Emperor and the Assassin (Jing ke ci qin wang), a sweeping spectacle type movie but mostly dialog on interior sets, comparable to GWTW in that respect. Interesting that the dynamics are not so much in terms of attack and conquest (well, there's a lot of that too) as willingness to die or to sacrifice oneself. The main resource of China is said to be its huge mass of people, a currency which consumes itself in the pursuit of its leaders' goals, in this case the unification of China into an empire in the third century BC. I liked it for the history lesson, the ancient architecture (apparently intact after 2229 years) and the gigantic battle scenes, but I suspect that the film has an ulterior purpose in choosing this topic: that the Chinese government is drawing an historical example to defend its current policy of unification, particularly in Tibet, by resettling people and by erasing their ethnic and cultural identities. Arguing morality with statistics, one might say.

The portrayal of the strong, surprisingly authoritative female lead was an interesting contrast to our usual supposition about Asian women as abused and suppressed, so some of the apparent propaganda may be intended to have a beneficial impact on the Chinese people's self image, not to mention foreign relations.

I didn't like the yellow overcast on most of the scenes: apparently the same thing Coppola did in Godfather I and II (also in that shabby "sequel" called Godfather III but that's no great loss) to suggest we're looking at the past. I think the movie would be better if it looked better. It does look pretty good though, in terms of sheer commercial grandeur as well as artistic camera work.

Beautiful

[miss_niss · 9/10 · 15 May 2003]

May contain spoilers

This historical movie was so refreshing. Although it may be exagerating the actual events, it does show the heartless nature of emperor Qui, which he was later infamous for. And there wasn't a single computer generated person in it. I think it's great that China has produce such an epic film. The costumes and the settings were beautiful, the performances were also excellent. Dignity vs. death is a major theme in this movie and i think it reflects the Chinese history and culture. I also enjoyed a little allusion to the terracotta warriors, a 3d map carved of the conquest of China with individual soldiers. Emperor Qui of course later as entombed with his life size terracotta warriors.

I also enjoyed the scene with the dwarf, he was a very interesting character, even if he only had a small scene.

9/10

Meditative courtly intrigue

[sillybuddha · 7/10 · 3 December 2006]

The pace of the film is ponderously slow in parts, but if you can tune into its languid speed and lengthy silences then it is a satisfying piece of courtly intrigue. The story of the first Emperor of China, his childhood sweetheart and the personal cost of power. The film is very atmospheric, the extremely mannered and polite courtly ceremony and ritual contrasted with sudden brutal violence. Filmed in a way that evokes shadows and cold spaces. Battle scenes are rare and short, the focus is on the battle within the individual on what is right to do and whether the ends justify the means. The emperor's journey from idealistic peacemaker to ruthless tyrant is aiming to be subtle, but gives little background or convincing insight into the motivation of the Emperor, indeed his actions and aims do not really change throughout, only Gong Li's attitudes to him are altered. The most interesting performances are Gong Li's and the titular Assassin as they reassess when to fight, when to retreat, when to kill. The most expensive film ever made in China at the time, the Emperor and the Assassin does not rely on hysteric emotion or big battles, but rather a brooding atmosphere of menace and inevitability. Gong Li fans will be unsurprised to hear she is as stunningly beautiful as ever, giving an understated performance.

Breathtaking historical drama with the intensity of Greek tragedy

[jf-ghr · 10/10 · 12 March 2000]

This 3 hour epic (seems much shorter) explores the will to power and conquest and the conflicting motives that underlie that quest by tracking two parallel lives: the emperor Q'in, whose desire to unify the Chinese feudal states has its basis in noble aims but devolves into violent oppression,isolation, and ultimate powerlessness; and the assassin Jing ke, a mercenary killer who comes to recognize the unintended consequences of murder and finds a form of salvation. As with all great art, this can be understood on many levels. The movie evoked for me images and ideas from Homer, Euripides, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, and Freud.

The story itself is true (I checked it out at britannica.com!), so this film will appeal to history buffs. It's ironic that Q'in spent much of his last years in a futile quest for immortality (not shown on the screen, but consistent with the plot).

The movie can also be viewed as an allegory of Maoism and the Cultural Revolution. Through the movie, one can understand that the last 50 years of Chinese history have had their precedent in the last 3000.

Fortunately for the audience, these complex ideas are developed in a film that is rich in imagery, action, and pagent. The battle scenes alone are worth the price of admission.

The Naysayer

[garrett_m_w · 1/10 · 12 March 2007]

I read all of the other comments which made this movie out to be an excellent movie. I saw nothing of the excellence that was stated. I thought it was long and boring. I tried twice to watch it. The first time I fell asleep and the second time I made it to within six minutes of the end and gave up. I suppose that it was mainly my fault going in with great expectation, but I don't think that this would have completely ruined the movie for me. The movie was just bland. It had nothing that was spectacular or unique to it. The plot was not half bad, the action sequences were non-existent, the dialogue forced and the movie just went on forever. I would not recommend seeing this movie.

Good, but ...

[FilmFlaneur · 9 June 2003]

Kaige Chen's epic co-incidentally covers much of the same historical period as Xiaowen Zhou's Qin Song /Emperor's Shadow (1996) but, despite the greater length and presumably larger budget, it emerges as the lesser of the two epics. Both films concentrate on the first unification of China by the ruthless and troubled King of Qin and feature a conspicuous branding of a female lead. But whereas Emperor's Shadow gives the whole process an obsessive gravitas, despite Kaige Chen's best efforts (and he manages some beautiful looking compositions) the present production is more diffuse and, to me anyway, was on a different level. The earlier film is more powerful (there is nothing as striking as the Tarkovsky-like 'sacrifice of the bells' moment, which is at the start of Qin Song, for instance) even though Kaige Chen has the full advantage of some marvellous locations. The portrait of the Qin King is also less impressive here. Fengyi Zhan simply has far less of a cruel, regal presence in the role than does Wen Jiang, and there is nothing like the overpowering relationship between the Emperor-to-be and his 'soulmate' - be it assassin or musician - that exists in the earlier work holding the long narrative together.

Having said that, there is much well mounted angst and drama as the king inevitably exploits many of him around him, some grand battle scenes, and a lot else to enjoy. I would also add Musa to the list of worth-seeing Asian epics which are currently available on cheap import DVDs. This current title has the best picture with none of the occasionally distracting compression problems of the the others (the film is on a 2 sided disk).