Making a cast of thousands seem like an understatement, The Emperor and the Assassin is about Ying Zheng (Li Xuejian), heir to the throne of the kingdom of Qin.
He and his concubine Zhao (Gong Li) come up with a clever plot that will ultimately unify a then fragmented China. She will set up an assassin from the neighbouring Han kingdom whom he will then expose. That will give him an excuse to invade that kingdom as well as six others. But as with the best-laid plans, human error gets in the way.
And somewhere in this almost three-hour-long, visually breathtaking look at the man who to this day lies guarded by his terracotta soldiers in Xiam, some organic elements of drama are lost. Director Chen Kaige’s indictment of both ancient and modern China as viciously inhumane is powerful, but then he seems to lack that one ingredient that might make for a civilised nation Ã’ a sense of humour.