The Emperor and the Assassin

1998 2h 42m ZH

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 87

HistoryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In pre-unified China, the King of Qin sends his concubine to a rival kingdom to produce an assassin for a political plot, but as the king's cruelty mounts she finds her loyalty faltering.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gong Li
Lady Zhao
Zhang Fengyi
Jing Ke
Li Xuejian
Ying Zheng
Wang Zhiwen
Marquis Changxin
Sun Zhou
Prince Yan Dan
Chen Kaige
Lu Buwei
Pan Changjiang
Prison Official
Zhao Benshan
Gao Jianli

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chen Kaige
Writers: Chen Kaige, Wang Peigong
Languages: Polish, Mandarin
Countries: China, France, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 162 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Polish, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, France, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chen Kaige, shot by Zhao Fei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Zhao Jiping. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Xinxia Zhou shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chen Kaige directs. Zhao Fei behind the camera. Zhao Jiping scores. Xinxia Zhou cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in China, France, Japan. Dialogue in Polish, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 162 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Polish, Mandarin.
4International production across 3 countries: China, France, Japan.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Chen Kaige, shot by Zhao Fei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Zhao Jiping. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Xinxia Zhou shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi and Li Xuejian carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt0162866 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 87 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 8 themes, including "assassin", "china", "kingdom", "occupying power".