Customer Reviews

The Emperor and the Assassin [VHS]

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Watching the Emperor and the Assassin is like watching history come alive. Before going into anything else about this picture, just the site of the costumes and watching the Emperors soldiers, living breathing moving terra cotta warriors is simply awesome. The history of ancient China leaps at you in this film. The pictures of Xian's Terra Cotta Warriors are famous, but to see them alive in this film is just unbelievable.

Kaige Chen is one of the world's greatest directors. His previous film, Temptress Moon, was an interesting look at the decadence of the warlord and KMT period in Chinese history, but its his epic Farewell My Concubine that made him famous. If you are not familiar with Farewell My Concubine, its the history of China from the Fall of the Dynasty system through the end of the Cultural Revolution as seen through the eyes of two Peking Opera stars. If you like Chinese history, you must see Farewell My Concubine.

The Emperor and the Assassin is a fantastic look at how the first Emperor of China came to power and unified the various parts of China under one ruler and Dynastic system.

Also, if anyone is not familiar with the awesome Chinese actress Gong-li, this film is a great introduction.

Often Chinese cinema and Hong Kong action cinema get lumped together. This is unfortunate because they are worlds apart. The films of Yimou, Kaige Chen, and Gong-li are very different from those of Jackie Chan. Both are great, but very different.

Watch this awesome historical epic and then I recommend Farewell My Concubine, Raise the Red Latern, Red Sorghum, and the most powerful of all Chinese films of late: To Live

The Emperor and the Assassin is a sweeping epic from the director of "Farewell My Concubine" and "Temptress Moon." This film is undeniably one of the best 5 of the year and is strongly reminiscent of a Kurosawa or Lean film, whether in terms of lush photography or deep character studies. Though not ranking at the films of those directors, this film stands on its own as one of the best epics I've seen in a long time. The story follows a ruthless, cold-blooded emperor who will do anything to reach up to the highest level of rulership, a reformed and moral assassin, and the emperor's wife, who bring those two forces together. Though running at a length of 161 minutes, this film cruises by very fast, with realistic battle scenes, almost exactly like Ran and long, sprawling, unforgettable shots like Lawrence of Arabia. There are extremely good performances all around, and a complexed, but fully revealing storyline, which makes this a fascinating, highly ambitous masterpiece.

Based on the actual event , this epic is set in the year 221 B.C and tells the 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 scheme 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 questions dealing with life and death and good and evil and all the blurred edges in between.

"The Emperor and the Assassin" is drama at its finest. Set against the backdrop of ancient China during the end of the Seven Kingdoms, it is not so much the story of how they were unified as it is about the trials and relationships of the Qin king. Extremely long, clocking in at just over 2 hours and 40 minutes, the impatient will shift their seating more than a few times, but the experience is entirely worth it. The crew entirely rebuilt the Qin palace, along with several other cities, from scratch. The sets and costumes are gorgeous. It really does appear to be ancient China. But this is not a film that only Asians will understand, it has a universal message and story that anyone could grasp. The acting is well on par with the best of the western world, and the story is absolutely heartbreaking. This is not a Hollywood movie by any stretch. This film actually takes time to develop every character intricately, and the portrayals of them really make you feel what they are feeling. There is no happy ending, but you will not feel cheated when the credits roll.
As with any foreign film, especially Asian films, the dialogue will be best understood by those who can understand Chinese, but for the most part the subtitles are very good. English speakers(or readers, in this case) will not miss much in the words spoken, but the true emotion can really only be felt by speakers of the language. Chinese is simple in syntax, but extremely complex in its subtleties that just cannot be translated into subtitles. But I am happy they chose not to dub it as that would likely destroy the brilliant performances of the very accomplished actors involved.
Anyway, in any language this is one of the greatest films EVER made, and if you like quality movies at all this film could not possibly disappoint.

What a beautiful film. Filmed so crystal clear that is is reminiscent of the cinematography of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. At the end of a film like this, your heart aches and you find that you cannot easily shake the memory of it away. Li Xue Jian is magnificent. With his charisma, he is the personification of the intrinsic man. While he is a king, we see that he is also human. A man fraught with fear, with love, with hatred, with loneliness, and while intoxicated with power, he understands that he is powerless. A wonderful performance, which shows the complexities of character and the multi-faceted id.
As for Gong Li,who plays the Lady Zhou, what can you say? Just that her smile alone makes my heart ache as I realize I can never again be content with a woman any less than she.

A massive epic, it's the story of the first Emperor of China and is gripping from start to finish. There isn't a single scene that isn't compelling. It's also one of the most magnificently well acted films I've ever seen. The entire cast is brilliant: Gong Li, the two male leads, the Queen Mother, the Prince of Yan, and my favorite, the beautiful Marquis ! There aren't enough superlatives for this film, just see it and marvel !

This Chinese film from famous director Kaige Chen is epic in every sense of the word. It weighs in at almost 3 hours and unlike many bloated Hollywood "epics" this one feel like it could have used another three.

It tells a complex story from Chinese history, but don't let that deterr you from watching it. The performances are first-rate, especially that of Gong Li. Many consider her the world's foremost actress and films like this really show why. The film is also rife with military action that is as good or better than films like Braveheart.

There are so many serious moments and grand emotions, that I felt like I was watching a film rendition of Shakespeare. More than once, I was struck by the intensity of the emotions. That is something decidedly lacking in your average movie.

Make sure you add this film to you foreign film collection. You won't regret it.

From the opening scenes of Chinese warriors on horseback and charriots (Far Eastern versions of the Roman style) the director tells the viewers that this is not going to be a movie made for mother.

I first saw this film a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely, my second viewing on a lazy Sunday afternoon I was surprised about how much I really missed the first time aound. Yeah the story was the same etc etc but what really blew my mind was that I began to realize this movie, although fictional, is based on real events at an apococlyptical time of Chinese history and cultural development. There may be considerable argument about the licence the director takes with history but, I mean, if we have drag em out arguments about written history then Chinese history, that was handed down as fables, tales and songs for childern, would probably stir even the most brain dead of Chinese historians.

With some of the excellent reviews here detailing the intricacies of the plot, love story etc etc suffice it to say that one should see this movie in the context of the historical importance on China's first unifying Emperor. The Emperor that I understand gave us the great wall of China the terracotta soldiers of Xian etc etc .... so just sit back to enjoy and marvell at a visually stunning and spectacular epic of the conflict of the times....

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.

A little history lesson. The setting of this film is during the end of the Warring States Period in China; actually before the First Empire was established. The main character is Ying Zheng, King of the Qin (or Ch'in) kingdom, (which is where China gets its name from). The Qin eventually conquers the remaining kingdoms and forms the first Imperial Dynasty in 221 B.C.

The costumes and sets are beautiful. I especially liked the exterior sceens shot at real imperial palaces. The whole atmosphere of the film gave it an air of authenticity.

Beside the grand sets, this film is actually a story about how people change; basically the relationship between Ying Zheng and his childhood girlfriend Lady Zhao. You see how Lady Zhao's presence moderates Ying Zheng's behavior, making him a more caring ruler. However, after a plot devised by Lady Zhao herself to help Ying Zheng conquer a neighboring kingdom without bloodshed, the King of Qin's attitude changes.

Through the plan, Lady Zhao is banished from Qin and sent to the Yan kingdom with a released prince who was held hostage. There she must convince the Yan rulers to send an assassin to murder Ying Zheng. When the assassination attempt fails, Qin will have a public pretext to invade Yan. Also, public knowledge of the attempt may make the Yan king acknowledge his treachery and surrender.

In Yan, Lady Zhao meets an ex-hitman named Jia Ke. She spends time with him trying to recruit him to her mission. Ke was once the best assassin in the kingdom, but has since reformed. Throughout the film Ying Zheng becomes more and more ruthless like the assassin once was, while the assassin develops into a virtuous hero.

When Ying Zheng sees Lady Zhao during secret meetings he seems to revert to his old benevolent ways. Then when she leaves again, he forgets all about her. At the end, there is a confrontation between the once good king and the former killer.

The film is well-acted. The pacing is slow, but it helps to develop the characters and the plot. The editing is sometimes done is a cut and paste style not seen in American movies, but it doesn't distract you from the important scenes or images on the screen. Remember, this isn't a Die Hard or Terminator 2 action flick. This one actually has a story worth watching. Stick with it, and you will be rewarded.