Reviewed by: dandan Date: 03/08/2006 Summary: 'hero', schmeero... well, not really, i do love 'hero', but it does present a stylised, glossified, government approved interpretation of events. 'the emperor and the assassin', however, takes a more critical view of the king of qin's actions. there's no ultra stylised fighting or changing colour schemes, instead you've just got a solid, grounded drama that is executed in a glorious fashion. gong li rocks!

Reviewed by: Gaijin84 Date: 08/24/2005 Summary: Solid and lengthy epic... The historic story of the Kin of Qin and his grand plan to unite China's warring states under one rule is the subject of Chen Kaige's 1999 epic. Driven by a near obsession to rule all of China, Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian) takes over province after province, until his dream stands on the brink of completion. With only 2 provinces remaining, Zheng launches a grand scheme to justify his plan and seem invincible to his followers. He schemes to have an assassin try to kill him and to foil the plan, seemingly single-handedly defeating the trained killer. His concubine, Lady Zhao (Gong Li), decides that her recruiting the assassin would be the easiest plan, and so she leaves to hire the killer, the legendary Jing Ke (Fengyi Zhang). However, with Lady Zhao absent Zheng becomes increasingly harsh in his strategies to defeat the provinces, including killing women and children. Lady Zhao begins to resent Zheng and his tactics and falls in love with Jing Ke and his eventual cause. Although she warns him that Zheng will know that he is an assassin, Jing Ke sets out anyways, resolved that his destiny lies in this final, futile act. The Emperor and the Assassin is operatic in many ways, with an epic story, scheming, plotting and tragic characters (and a 3 hour length). Chen Kaige has a very stylistic and beautiful approach to filmmaking, which tends to set him apart from the other kinetic directors in Hong Kong. His films are slow, deliberate and quite striking, with a Hollywood-type feel to them. Although extremely long, The Emperor and the Assassin does manage to hold one's interest for most of it's length, with the film being split into three distinct parts. Both Li Xuejian and Gong Li are excellent in their roles. Fengyi Zhang is decent, but seems to try too hard to fit into the role of the eternally calm Jing Ke. Look for the director himself playing the role of Lu Buwei, Zheng's advisor. The Emperor and the Assassin will be enjoyable for anyone who is interested in Chinese history and likes a solid epic, but get comfortable and plan on doing nothing else for quite a long time. 7/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: pjshimmer Date: 05/09/2003 Summary: Magnificent theatrical wonder Frankly, I hated this movie when I first saw it a few years ago. Back then (when I was still in my teens), I detested the dramatic acting. As you may guess, my view on Mainland drama has since turned 360 degrees around, thanks to inspiring pictures like "In the Heat of the Sun" (a must see). Everything you love about Mainland movies is here. The story tells of the conquering journey that Ying Zheng embarks on to lose his loved ones, including his mother, father, and wife. It shows once again that great men must sacrifice happiness for achievement. This movie often rivals Akira Kurosawa's "Ran" as the greatest period war movie. While I thoroughly enjoyed "Ran," I am partial to "Emperor" for its less overly dramatic moments. "Ran" and most Kurosawa movies cross the line of dramatic acting, where characters exhibit a lifetime shock every few minutes. At a length of 160 minutes, "Emperor" is worth every second. [8/10]

Reviewed by: virelai Date: 03/10/2000 Summary: A Brilliant, Epic Production "The Emperor and the Assassin," the new movie by Chen Kaige, (director of "Temptress Moon" and one of my favorites, "Farewell My Concubine") is a film of paradoxes. At its center is a man who ruled with an iron fist, a despotic tyrant responsible for the genocide of conquered peoples and the mass murder of children. This is Ying Zheng, the king of Qin and the first emperor of a unified China. Yet Ying, as played by Li Xuejian, is a sentimental man of deep emotions, who adores his mother, is affectionate with his courtiers, and dreams of a peaceful, unified China. His nemesis, Jing Ke (the "assassin" of the title), is likewise a riddle: a master assassin who has sworn not to kill. These two men and the woman that each loves are the centerpieces of Chen's latest masterpiece, an epic tale of war, love and betrayal. As the film opens, Lady Zhao (Gong Li), Ying's intended bride, proclaims that she wishes to return to Zhao, her homeland as well as that of Ying's mother. Her reasoning: though they were childhood sweethearts and she still harbors affection for him, he has changed as a person after becoming king. He asks her to attend a meeting between him and emissaries from a neighboring kingdom, where he eloquently manages to sway her with his dreams of a unified China. With new resolve, she concocts a plan in which she will aid the hostage prince of Yan to escape, and convince him to send an assassin to kill Ying. Ying would therefore have a legitimate reason to invade Yan, his most powerful enemy and biggest obstacle to unification. Once in Yan, she discovers Jing Ke (played by another Chen veteran, Zhang Fengyi), an expert assassin, who through a harrowing experience on a job has sworn never to kill again. The prince knows that this is the man he wants for the job, and threatens Zhao unless she agrees to convince him to take the assignment. Zhao, of course, has her own reasons for thinking him a perfect candidate for the mission. However, all does not go as planned. Intrigue abounds in the Qin court, and coup attempts and damaging revelations about the king himself cause a chain of events that result in a devastating attack on Lady Zhao's homeland. Ying, in his fervent desire to accomplish his dream and fulfill the edict of his ancestors, has become completely paranoid. Will she vow revenge on the man she loves? Is he even the man she loves anymore? The two male leads are standouts. Li gives a shattering performance as Ying, who at first has the world on a string, and later finds that it is spiraling out of his control. He portrays both the inner conscience of the king as well as his cold ruthlessness, as his character descends from a man that is essentially good to one that is nothing but an empty shell. Zhang Fengyi, who was so good as the emotionally volcanic Duan in "Farewell, My Concubine," is much more restrained as the penitent assassin. Still, he conveys a strength of resolve and a nobility that is essential to the character. Lady Zhao is played by Chen favorite Gong Li ("Is she the only actress in China?" asks a friend), and his camera's love affair with her continues in this film. The lens lingers on her face for the majority of almost every scene she is in. This is not a bad thing, as she is certainly a talented actress capable of imbuing a simple facial gesture with great emotional depth; however, one could argue that this slightly artifical emphasis comes at the cost of showcasing the performances of the two male leads, who are also superb. At any rate, nothing should be taken away from Gong's performance -- it is excellent. Most, if not all of the supporting players are superb as well: Wang Zhiwen as the conniving marquis, who evolves from an amusing fop to a noble, tragic figure; Gu Yongfei, the Queen Mother; and Chen himself as Lu Buwei, the disgraced prime minister of Qin. Chen's direction can seem highly idiosyncratic at times; he favors the use of abrupt and startling jump cuts, which often makes the passage of time and sequence of events difficult to interpret. This causes the exposition to seem especially disjointed and confusing. Most of the dialog seems to have been dubbed in post; while this is common practice in Asia, it may be jarring to American viewers. In addition, there seems to have been something wrong with the print reviewed (at the Egyptian Theater in Seattle); skipped frames abounded. The film itself, though, like any Chen Kaige work, is awe-inspiringly beautiful. The sets and cinematography are every bit as up to par as "Temptress Moon" or "Farewell," and the epic battle scenes, especially one that takes place in the courtyard of the palace, are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The costumes, notably those worn by the king, Lady Zhao and the Marquis are beautifully crafted and colorful. I can't think of a movie I've seen in recent memory that better evokes the period of an ancient era than this. "The Emperor and the Assassin," while quite a bit grander in scope than "Farewell My Concubine," is just as much a story of three characters helplessly mired in the political landscape of their time. While less emotionally concentrated than the earlier film, this latest effort is still one that you should run out and see if you have the slightest interest in Chinese history or just like epic romances. It's a masterpiece and one of my top films of 1999. Highly recommended. Michael's 5-point rating: 4.5/5 Reviewer Score: 9