| Overview: | What could be drier and less human than a film about military machinations in China two millennia ago? At first glance, struggles among kingdoms with names like Qin, Yan, Han and Zhao might seem to be the stuff of long, boring books and dense documentary films. But in the hands of director Kaige Chen, they are the basis for a stirring story that focuses more on three key personalities than on the grand sweep of history. Chen, who also co-wrote, co-produced and co-stars in the film, alternates between an epic war movie and an effective story of idealism turned into power hunger and love turned into dissolution.
The film is based on actual events in China during the third century BC. China was made up of seven warring states, a far cry from the earlier era in which there were hundreds of small kingdoms, but not nearly as stable as Ying Zheng, the King of Qin (Xuejian Li), wanted it to be. Zheng believed (and was constantly reminded by his handlers) that his destiny was to bring all of China together under a single king, and naturally, he was the man for the job. His desire to fulfill this destiny starts as a motivation to do good. Zheng has the support of Lady Zhao (Li Gong), his lover and confidante. She's willing to leave the kingdom and stir up a fake assassination plot in neighbouring Yan in order to further his efforts. But as events unfold, Zheng's idealism degenerates into a bloody paranoid power-grab, and Lady Zhao's loyalty is tested. Enter Jing Ke (Fengyi Zhang), a retired assassin, who has sworn off violence and embarked on a life of peace and greater meaning. When confronted with the brutality of Zheng's attacks on the other kingdoms, his sense of honour compels him to carry out one more assignment.
The Emperor and the Assassin impresses us with huge battle scenes, but its real strength is in the characterizations of Zheng, Lady Zhao and Jing, as well as some of the major supporting players. These characters are beautifully sketched, and the performances of Zhang and Li are particularly impressive. In another filmmaker's hands, this story might have given us a vicious Zheng, a heartbroken Lady Zhao and an honourable Jing. Chen brings us multi-faceted characters that evolve during the film, and in ways that are believable. There are many scenes that will stay with you for a very long time: the suicide of a young blind girl who's entire family has just been murdered; Jing's rescue of a child thief who is being tortured by a baker; the children of Zhao who stand up to Zheng even as they face death.
This is a huge, lengthy and sometimes slow-moving film that can be difficult to follow. However, by paying attention to the fascinating characters and not worrying about a geography or history lesson, we are free to marvel at what is a beautiful and tragic film, and a reminder of how power corrupts.
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