Rating: 
Summary: A disturbing movie, but powerful
Review: I decided to watch this movie after learning that the director, Chen Kaige, made this movie to purposefully draw parallels between the first Chinese emperor's bloody quest to gain power and unite China, and the Communist Party's attempt to maintain its grip on China.This movie conveys an extremely malevolent worldview. Innocent people are victimized by evil people. Those who attempt to stand in evil's way are crushed, and evil has its way. Every attempt to achieve values is frustrated. Repeatedly, even resistance against evil takes the form of deliberate suicide or self-sacrifice. Visually, the film is quite disturbing. There is a great deal of blood, death, and suffering, though the ratio of gore to death is low. I can understand why the director Chen Kaige projects this malevolence in the movie. He grew up during China's Cultural Revolution, a time of moral and literal cannibalism in China. Suggesting his view of the current situation in China, the movie portrays a society dominated by murder, betrayal, corruption, and wholesale indifference to human life. Attractive promises are made and betrayed to justify destruction. No redeeming qualities are found in those in power. Furthermore, the negativity of this movie is a direct rebuke to the style of Chinese-government made movies which show Chinese people as happy under Communist rule. The movie's primary political message is: China's unity is not worth the suffering and murder accompanying it. This directly refers to the situation in Tibet, Xinxiang province, and Taiwan. It's hard to imagine a person who has seen this movie cheering for "Chinese national unity" as the Communists require. Philosophically, the primary weakness of the movie is that it presents life as having only two alternatives: one can live and gain power through betrayal and deceit, or one can attempt to practice honesty and integrity, which is an honorable act of self-sacrifice leading to failure and death. Despite its malevolent worldview, the movie has its virtues. The film is visually arresting, in a way most American movies gave up on 50 years ago. The film is intense, maintaining a firm grip on one's attention, and creating a real emotional impact. I cautiously recommend this movie to people not particularly sensitive to pictures of death, and who have an interest in China.
Rating: 
Summary: One of A-MUSTs
Review: I disagree that the movie does not grab you and pull you in. It does. Have patience and learn to enjoy such great artworks. You should do your job too. It is not an light-weight entertainment, but the process has it's reward. "...poor editing that jumps..." holds your attention. Those jumps are for you to take a moment. Feel the scale of the drama; behold the power of fate and fear, human strength and self-sacrifice.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome
Review: I just got the DVD from amazon.com, and I can't believe how awsome it is. Better still, it comes with a Spanish track, which makes it even more wonderful to watch for those of us who speak the language. It rivals ANY large scale movie made in Hollywood. It's beauty is infinite. MY only regret is that it doesn't come with an English and a French track. The Spanish dubbing is magnificient. I'm sure if there were more foreign movies dubbed in Eglish, people would get used to the dubbing (like they are everywhere else in the world), and films like The Emperor and the Assassin would get the audience they disserve. If you think Gladiator is great, this movie is MUCH greater.Thanks amazon.com for allowing me to have this DVD in my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Great epic.
Review: I love The Emperor and The Assassin. Despite the fact that some of the depiction is not entirely correct...it is a visual feaSt for me to see the lives, costumes and interractions of my ancient ancestors. Also, eventhough I like Gong Li a lot, my preference in this movie actually favours Zhang Fengyi, Li XueJian and Sun Zhou. THIS MOVIE TO ME, IS A MOVIE. A SIGHT, A FANTASY WHERE FOR 3 HOURS I CAN BE TRANSPORTED BACK TO THE ANCIENT LAND AND LIVE An ANCIENT FANTASY. WHEN IT ENDS, I CAN WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE BACK IN THIS NOT-SO-FANTASTIC WORLD. There is no "good guy" "bad guy" here. Every charcters in this movie have their good...and their bad. The main power of the story is basically a man, in the beginning with honest sincerity consume by greed and powerlust in the end. Now, don't we see too many of these people around us today? With regards to some comments before me, please note that there are movies made by Japanese directors, hated by some japanese.There are Chinese movies made by Chinese directors hated by some Chinese as well as American movies made by American directors hated by some Americans. There is no way of pleasing everyone and that, is human nature. There are times when I fear reading movie reviews because there are the good and the bad. I for one can never decide and ending up standing in the video store for hours deciding to buy or not to buy. Thank goodness I never believe critics wholeheartedly, or I'll end up not watching any movie at all!. I love this movie,period. Also, because it is my personal nature & character that I love epic, dramas/movies...along the realms of Seven Samurai, Dances with the wolves, Ran, Color Purple, To live, The Emperors Shadow....and so on. Also perhaps, to be honest, I am fanatically and hardcore loyal to Asian directors like Zhang Yimou, Chen kaige, Akira Kurosawa, Hiroshi Inagaki and likes ,so then, I can be considered bias. Doesnt matter. As for Tibet & Xinjiang, in relation to this movie...I am sorry but there is, and I don't see, the connection. Please dont go "Armani-obsessed Gere" on this one. It makes me sick to, everytime, see politics and finger pointing, squeezing into almost every Asian movies that grace the cinema, be it movies from Iran, China or Russia. It will be nice and I will be extremely grateful if politically inclined critics leave us alone to the beauty of the movie screen and leave the politics to all two-faced politicians. Hypocrisy is infectious, as well, because every single country in this world have their skeletons in their closet. Every single one, like it or not. Peace & love, to all Art-house International movie lovers. Genghiz
Rating:
Summary: Not the Original?
Review: I originally saw this film at an art institute film theater and was captivated! That was 6 or 8 years ago and when it came out on video i immeditely rented it. But that vido version had been censord and changed! And now here is a 1999 verson in which the movie is altogeher different but retains some of the story and actors as far as I can tell!!! I am mystified and would love to find the original verson, as I believe it probably has been destroyed because of its radical, subversive take on Chinese history. It was a beautiful, moving excellent film that mocked the Chinese government and now seems to have been "hollywoodized" and bears little resemblance to the original by the same name, tho' the cinematography is beautiful. I wholeheartedly suggest that viewers try to find the original as I am trying to do, tho' i suspect it no longer exists for commercial consumption. If anyone knows of the whereabouts of a copy of the original I would love to hear from them!
Rating:
Summary: Startled into watching the whole three hours!
Review: I was channel surfing and I happened across this film. It's a 3-hour film but I was riveted to the screen. The plot is pretty good, but the costuming and historical accuracy is amazing! The political strategies are to the point, and the love stories poignant, if not ever happy. There is a LOT of war and death, so if violence bothers you, don't watch this. Also, there is a lot of violence against children, and people just giving up the ghost for honor/duty/a cause. I was so struck that I immediately purchased the DVD so I could watch it at my leisure.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL!
Review: If you guys love other Gong Li movies, you'll love this one even more. It's filled with action, drama, and comedy plus it's based on Chinese history. YOu have to see this one! I saw it at the movie theater and couldn't stop thinking about it for days..That's all I have to say..you must see this!
Rating:
Summary: VISUALLY SWEEPING BUT A BIT FULL OF ITSELF
Review: Imagine a three hour marathon epic where secrets and betrayals lurk at every corner, no one, including the king, is quite what he seems, and the screenplay is so glacial you'll be tempted to flirt with your remote's FF button.
Nothing could slight the stunning visuals managed by this leisurely meditation on Chinese history -- based on fact as it were -- it positively bursts with action like Kurosawa's "Ran" from time to time. The portraits of palatial life, honor, tradition, basically the usual nine yards, are captivating.
But amid this microscopic attention to visual detail and plot intricacies, characterizations get the cold shoulder. Our kings and queens and generals and concubines are for the most part as endearing as a Dominos delivery box, their lines as emotive as the weekend set menu.
It's a dodgy trap, to get so caught up in dressing like an epic that you forget your basic undergarments. Emperors and Assassins is unquestionably gorgeous and enigmatic, but it's useful to have heroes one can care about, all of whom are comfortably absconding from this flick.
Recommended rental for the historically inclined.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting.. but boring. way too long
Review: Interesting premise but the character development goes on ad nauseum and the climax that the whole movie builds up to is a washout in the last 5 minutes (guess ran out of budget). Way too long at 2.5 hours.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally awful
Review: Other than the cinematography, it is total ... Historical inaccuracies, zero entertainment value, pretentious. I'm Chinese and I hate the movie. In fact I do not know of any Chinese who likes it. For those who named this an epic, PUURLEEEESE... go and watch "The Three Kingdoms" Even the recently made "Yongzheng Dynasty" qualifies more as an epic than this film that serves only to pander to the needs & tastes of the Western audience.
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