Li Gong,
Fengyi Zhang,
Li Xuejian,
Sun Zhou,
Zhiwen Wang
... see more 
A lavishly produced historical drama from China, Jing Ke Ci Qin Wang/The Emperor and the Assassin tells the complex, multi-facetted story of the man who became the first Emperor of a unified China, an... read more
DVD Release Date: June 13, 2000
Get It:
Stats: 230 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (230)
-
May 16, 2009The Emperor and the Assassin is a historical drama, with a touch of Shakespeare, from writer and director Kaige Chen.
The plot does have its moments and it is interesting at times, but it is just too drawn out. The film is broken into chapters, which works out quite wel
... read more -
June 25, 2008gorgeous epic about china's first emperor, every bit as good as hero and said to be more historically accurate. also it's almost 3 hours long but it's a complicated story! and it's not really a wuxia film
-
-
September 18, 2007Too long, but romantic and the beautiful music makes it better to this chinese love story. ( More details later) :D
-
January 15, 2011EPIC. Long, slow, a little melodramatically meandering but never boring. This is a great film to watch before HERO to get a more standard historical telling of the story of China's first Emperor. It's not stuffy at all. Most of the characters are a little wacky. Hard not to see i... read more
-
February 14, 2010On the surface, a standard ancient China period piece with Kung Fu. But inside this main plot lays a web of intrigue.
-
March 24, 2009As epic period dramas go this one was okay, there are several tellings of this particular story on film, but this one lack the true passion of some of the others. I liked it, but I wont recommend it for entertainment.
-
October 12, 2007Good cinematography but the story lags in many places. I enjoyed it but I didn't have high expectations.
-
May 28, 2007Hero was a load of shit. If you want to see a tale of high adventure about the man that united China (and the woman that he stepped on in the process), watch this masterpiece by the man who taught the director of Hero everything he knows about direction.
-
May 21, 2007a little long but good. make sure there is nothiong around to bother you when you watch it or you can get a little lost in the story line even in your not watching for even a few moments.
Critic Reviews
January 8, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
January 2, 2004
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
It's hard to argue against such a melodramatic approach when such palpable, haunting emotion is created. Full Review
May 5, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Chen mixes in rich details and politics to make it all come alive and seem relevant. Full Review
March 8, 2002
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine
Works so hard at being big and important that it all but shuts out small gesture. Full Review
March 5, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A Shakespearian tale about China's genesis as a unified empire. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Peter Henne, Film Journal International
Chen's is a blazing, exceptional entertainment. Full Review
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
