"The Emperor and the Assassin"
1999
Directed by Chen Kaige

Gong Li stars as the lover of the King of Qin (Li Xuejian), sent to enlist an assassin to assist the King's plan to unify the seven kingdoms of 3rd-century China. When she falls in love with the assassin (Zhang Fengyi), the dreams of a dynasty are threatened. A vibrant, seductive epic from the director of Farewell My Concubine and Temptress Moon. "Chen Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin is a stunner--as big and messy as a war, as small and perfect as a diamond" (Stephen Hunter, Washington Post). Letterbox. Mandarin with English subtitles.  161 minutes.