The Emperor And The Assassin [2000]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Set in 221 BC, The Emperor and the Assassin tells of Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian) and his obsession to unite seven Chinese kingdoms and become the first Emperor of China. The film mixes spectacular battle scenes with court intrigue, counterpointed by the King's complex relationship with the only woman he has truly loved, the Lady Zhao (Gong Li). From protocol-ridden palaces to wide open grasslands, this is a visually striking film, both beautiful and at the same time burdened with the horrors of the period.

Though this was the most expensive film ever made in China, director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) nevertheless retains a tight reign on character and psychology, recalling Kurosawa's Ran (1985) and Kagemusha (1980). The cast, particularly the two leads, are magnificent and both production design and score are first rate. While the unfolding story has similar appeal to Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it can be as confusing and jarringly edited as the original (pre-director's cut) version of The Last Emperor (1987), and for the same reason--despite its 154 minutes--the film was cut by approximately 30 minutes prior to release. The full version may eventually reveal a masterpiece, though in its present form it is still an exceptionally powerful and compelling drama.

On the DVD: The Emperor and the Assassin’s original 1.85:1 image is transferred anamorphically, and while not up with the finest DVDs is still sharp and detailed. Strangely, despite the film being presented in DTS theatrically, the DVD offers mere three-channel Dolby Pro-Logic. No more than adequate, this is a serious disappointment when at least Dolby Digital 5.1 would be the accepted norm. The film can be watched with the original Mandarin soundtrack, with or without English subtitles, or dubbed into English. The extras are a 4:3 trailer and a serious, comprehensive commentary by director Chen Kaige. For anyone wanting to know how to mount such a large-scale production, there can be few better guides than Kaige.--Gary S. Dalkin

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Customer reviews

review by: yveline4 date: 2008-04-26 rating:
Frustrating
Guests and I were disappointed with the English subtitling: there were reams and reams of speech in exchange for one very slow very short English translation which you knew instinctively fell short of the original. It's not that we dislike subtitles. I am French and love to watch foreign films especially chinese films. I can't help thinking that there's simply something wrong with the subtitling (technically).

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review by: almac1975 date: 2008-01-08 rating:
Visually remarkable, dramatically absorbing
This is a very absorbing and beautifully made film. It recreates China 2,200 years ago, in the time of the great Emperor Q'in (pron. 'Sheen'), who unified the country, was responsible for the linking of the Chinese defensive walls into the Great Wall of China and ordered the manufacture of the famous terracotta warriors to guard the gates of his tomb. A retired, remorseful assassin is persuaded to make an attempt on his life, which in the end he does. Everything about it visually is impressive, indeed breath-taking. The acting is good - lots of intense close-ups. However, if this does not sound a silly comment, it is a very 'Chinese' film in terms of character behaviour and motivation, and it is sometimes difficult for a Western perception to make out why a character thinks as she/he does or apparently changes viewpoint without any clear reason. I do not say this as a criticism - I had a similar reaction to watching traditional Chinese opera a while back, but that did not spoil my enjoyment of it. No-one should hesitate from watching this film if the subject appeals.

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review by: date: 2008-01-02 rating:
Grand spectacle, burning cities, imperial stratagems and children flinging themselves from walls. Not bad
A besieging army is in its final attack against the great city. High on the battlements parents and courtiers are bringing the children. They range in age from four or five to the early teens. Then the adults urge the children to throw themselves onto the swords and spears of the enemy soldiers below. Throw themselves they do. After the city has been taken and most of the inhabitants slaughtered, the remaining children, who could be a threat if they seek revenge when they grow up, are buried alive outside the city walls. And so Ying Zheng, king of Qin, conquers the kingdom of Yan, one of China's seven kingdoms. Before he is through he will have conquered the remaining kingdoms and made himself the first emperor of a united China. The stench of his conquests will fill the nostrils of historians and movie makers down to the present.

The Emperor and the Assassin tells us the story of Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian), who unifies China (at least for a short time; his dynasty lasted only 15 years), his companion from early youth, Lady Zhao (Gong Li), and an assassin, Jing Ke (Zhang Fengyi), she hires in an elaborate plot to further Ying's ambition. She will pretend to flee the Qin city, going so far as to have herself branded on the face, and convince the Yan she has left the king. But once there, she will hire a most skilled assassin who will journey to Qin. With advance knowledge of the plot, Ying will intercept the assassin, blame the Yan and force them to surrender without the bloodshed of a full-scale war.

Two things interfere with Lady Zhao's carefully crafted grand strategy. Ying, the King of the Qin, develops into a megalomaniac, brutal, cruel and obsessed by a secret from his childhood. The cities he conquers are laid waste, his armies slaughter everyone who resists. Those he thinks could be a danger, he puts to the sword, or worse. He thought his two younger half-brothers, neither older then eight, could be a threat. While they scream for their mother, they are placed in sacks and thrown from a wall. The vision of one China, ruled wisely for the benefit of the people, a vision he shared with Lady Zhao, has been twisted into a nightmare of blood. Lady Zhao comes to realize this...and she comes to fall deeply in love with the assassin, a man who turns out to be made of far more honor than the King. When the king decides on a full-out attack on the Yan anyway, Lady Zhao wants the assassin to succeed. The climax of the movie is the confrontation between the assassin and the king, and between the king and Lady Zhao.

There may be melodrama mixed in with this great, sweeping adventure, but just keep watching. Director Chen Kaige has produced one of the most lavish and historically accurate films ever made. He constructed a real palace -- hallways, courtyards, sweeping stairways, elaborate rooms -- larger than Beijing's Forbidden City. He insisted on 20,000 costumes, most of them lavish and each one true to the period. Armies in the thousands of men march across the Chinese plaines and besiege cities. Great, square wooden chariots holding three men each race across the battleground and crash into the opposing infantry. Ranks of archers cut down rebels, who are finished off with spear thrusts. The courtiers perform their elaborate rituals in silks and perfumes; the soldiers reek of sweat and scratch lice. The long movie is a marvelous spectacle. There may be too much exposition for some; the pace may be too stately at times for others. Still, it's a feast to look at, the imperial betrayals are deadly and the battle scenes (and there are a lot of them) are gripping.

Gong Li is evenly matched in this movie by the actors who play the King of Qin and the assassin. Even so, she is a vision to look at and a superb actress. Her lips are as red as fresh blood, her skin like porcelain. Even with a scar on her cheek she looks better than just about anyone else. In one five-year period she starred in such an array of significant movies playing such different characters that I don't think she can be matched by any other actress. Just consider: Ju Dou (1990), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), The Story of Qiu Ju (1992), Farewell My Concubine (1993), To Live (1994) and Shanghai Triad (1995).

If you travel to China, be sure to visit the city of Xian. Not far away you'll find the tomb of the emperor. It is a tribute to his megalomania. It lies surrounded by thousands and thousands of full figure terra-cotta soldiers and horses...cavalry, spearmen, charioteers with their horses, archers and swordsmen. The buried tomb is enormous; these ranks of clay soldiers, fully equipped, are only the ones which have been unearthed so far.

The movie may be a bit stately at times, but it's one of the great examples of movie making on a grand scale. The DVD picture looks just fine. The significant extras include a director's commentary and a filmography.

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review by: date: 2005-11-22 rating:
Chinese Epic - like Hero through a different lens
Directed by Chen Kaige (Farewell my concubine), this film shares much of its basic story with Hero in that it deals with the end of the Chinese Warring States period, the creation of a unified 'chinese' empire and a plot to kill the King of Qin, but the treatment is different in terms of cinematic style and the meaning behind the story.
The plot revolves around Ying Zheng (King of Qin) and his 'quest' to unify the other six kingdoms under his rule.
The film begins with the conquest of the Han and the main plot involves Ying Zhengs lover, Lady Zhao (played by Gong Li) going off on a clandestine mission to provide a pretext for him to attack another state Yan.
While she is away, there are complications at court and Ying Zheng, who is portrayed as a peace-loving unifier, gradually becomes (or is revealed to be) a ruthless tyrant.
The central question is whether personal desire for love and happiness can coincide with political ambition and a desire to save the world (or at least ancient China) through absolutist rule.
Or to put it another way, "What profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul" ?

The cast of characters includes some convincing supporting performances particularly from Fengyi Zhang as the assassin Jing Ke.
Jing Ke is a very interesting character and he and Ying Zheng Ke are portrayed as living opposite lives in many respects .

The courtly intrigues are handled with depth and they are driven by the characters rather than to satisfy the need for plot twists.

This is a film which will reveal more with each watching and I suspect there are other subtle clues that I will never get due to my lack of knowledge about the culture.

In terms of cinematography, it couldn't be less like Hero. No beautiful painted scenes of ochre leaves, no wire fighting. The palette is subdued and the fights are generally short and brutally functional.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Definitely a historical drama (rather than an action film), but one with well developed characters and many scenes of real emotional depth as well as a grand sweeping backdrop of epic proportions.


review by: hifranc date: 2005-06-08 rating:
A Chinese Epic
The film is set in the year 221 BC. The expanse of land that we now call China was once hundreds of warring Kingdoms. At the time the film starts, conquests have molded those hundreds into 7 Kingdoms. Zheng wants to become the ruler of them all.

The film revolves around 3 people:

Emperor/King Ying Zheng: He has had a dream handed down to him from his ancestors to "rule all under heaven" (i.e. China). He believes that he will make a good ruler. At the start of the film he is the ruler of the Kingdom of Qin.

Lady Zhao: Zheng's first love. They've been growing apart for years but Zheng still wants her around.

Jing Ke: An assassin from the country of Yan. A distressing event in his past has made him renounce violence.

The film starts off with a battle and old fashion ideas of honour. In order to stop more bloodshed, Lady Zhao comes up with a plan. She will go with the Prince of Yan, who Zheng is currently holding hostage, to Yan and persuade them to send an assassin to make an attempt on Zheng (which is doomed to failure) and then Yan will have to capitulate to Qin without soldiers having to go into battle to make up for it.

Things don't quite go as planned when she embarks on her mission.

There is a subplot in that a high ranking person in Zheng's kingdom is plotting a coup.

One warning: it doesn't flinch from showing us the aftermath and devestation of war. It's neither pro-war or anti-war.

The film is a period piece which is about plots, counter plots and intrigue. It's also about how emotions affect politics and decisions individuals take. It starts out from one point of view but gradually shows us others.

At 2 1/2 hours it is a little on the long side. Despite that it's worth a look.

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