The Emperor and the Assassin (1998) - Review by Heather Gross-Sheriff

History of the Film

The Emperor and The Assassin is a Chinese romance and historical film written, directed and produced by Chen Kagie in 1998 and takes place in 225 B.C. The film focuses on King Ying Zheng of Qin and his desire to unite the other six kingdoms under his rule.

Historical Analysis of the Film

This story loosely follows Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. While portions of the movie are accurate, the focus is on the romantic relationship between King Ying Zheng and Lady Zhao. In the film, Lady Zhao is the concubine of King Ling Zheng, however, in real life Lady Zhao is his mother, the Queen of Dowager. In the film, like real life, Ying Zheng kills his mother's two sons along with her lover Marquis. Upon finding out that he is also a bastard, Ying Zheng banishes Prime Minister Lu Buewi who later commits suicide. The scene in which assassins come to kill King Ying Zheng has also followed history well, two assassins come to the first emperor baring two gifts, a severed head of his enemy and a map of his conquests concealing a hidden dagger. The fighting scene which ensues, as a result, is historically accurate in that no one in the palace room attempted to save the king. This is because no one who served the king could carry weapons.