I found this to be a wonderful look at the end of the Han Dynasty. Chow Yun Fat who plays the famed General Cao Cao for the emperor Xian (Alec Su)falls into despair when he learns of a coo against him. Seeing as the emperor has enemies all over China, in his paranoia included General Cao with his delusions. Yet in the middle is a young girl who along with another was kidnapped in order to be honed into an assassin.
Taught by an evil doctor named Doctor Yuen (Roy Cheung) to kill a friend or die. Seeing as this presented many complications to this girl Gong Ling Ju (Yifei Liu), she tried to keep her resolve in assassinating Cao Cao, but with the driving force to live, held deep in her heart, that the general is not all that is told about him is true.
With the royal courts and the emperor against the general, Gong Ling comes to realize he was only protecting Xian all along. But with growing troubles in the hierarchy it became impossible to kill him. I found this to be a great representation of an old story of the past.
It was known that the Han dynasty held a very troubled king, and how his growing paranoia led to his abdication. To see such ways of creating assassins to carry out an order to kill, was also a unique expression on just how bad it was back then. To use human lives in the name of royalty. The doctor was evil, even though he played the part of the kind physician he was actually beyond help in his own delusions from the emperor. Great music, wonderful acting on everyone's part.
Most of which goes to Chow Yun Fat who I have admired for years. Plus one other person who I thought played the son of Cao to the letter. A troubled lad who didn't know where his loyalties laid. To become the son again through a warning, and to live on for his father's sake.
Cao Pi(Qiu Xinzhi) lived up to his father's name and became emperor just after Xian, another great actor I think. All in all, it's a love triangle,full of betrayal, paranoia both in the courts, and in the minds of those around Cao Cao, the emperor, and the people. A very turbulent time, a very dark past in China's history. Highly recommended to those over 17.
Taught by an evil doctor named Doctor Yuen (Roy Cheung) to kill a friend or die. Seeing as this presented many complications to this girl Gong Ling Ju (Yifei Liu), she tried to keep her resolve in assassinating Cao Cao, but with the driving force to live, held deep in her heart, that the general is not all that is told about him is true.
With the royal courts and the emperor against the general, Gong Ling comes to realize he was only protecting Xian all along. But with growing troubles in the hierarchy it became impossible to kill him. I found this to be a great representation of an old story of the past.
It was known that the Han dynasty held a very troubled king, and how his growing paranoia led to his abdication. To see such ways of creating assassins to carry out an order to kill, was also a unique expression on just how bad it was back then. To use human lives in the name of royalty. The doctor was evil, even though he played the part of the kind physician he was actually beyond help in his own delusions from the emperor. Great music, wonderful acting on everyone's part.
Most of which goes to Chow Yun Fat who I have admired for years. Plus one other person who I thought played the son of Cao to the letter. A troubled lad who didn't know where his loyalties laid. To become the son again through a warning, and to live on for his father's sake.
Cao Pi(Qiu Xinzhi) lived up to his father's name and became emperor just after Xian, another great actor I think. All in all, it's a love triangle,full of betrayal, paranoia both in the courts, and in the minds of those around Cao Cao, the emperor, and the people. A very turbulent time, a very dark past in China's history. Highly recommended to those over 17.