The Emperor and the "4" Assassins"s"

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2004)

A myriad of colours and poetry in motion, this film (presented in Kabuki/Peking Opera style employed via flashbacks) shares a basic plot with numerous folklores of ancient China where brave warriors (who can use blades of grass as swords) and assassins (who are honourable) are abundant.
The movie opens with the audience being introduced to NAMELESS, an orphaned police prefect of Qin province who is going to attend an audience with Warlord QIN for having subdued one of QIN's archenemies...the assassin SKY. For this he is bestowed with land, gold and the Warlord's respect in the form of tea with QIN at 20 paces. This is highly rare as no one is allowed within 100 paces of QIN for fear of assassination.
In the following scene, NAMELESS is having tea with QIN again but this time at 10 paces for having killed BROKEN SWORD and FALLING SNOW. BROKEN SWORD and FALLING SNOW are the duo that stormed QIN's palace three years earlier with intent to kill QIN, but BROKEN SWORD abandoned the mission at the last instant when his sword sliced a small section QIN's skin on the neck.
What unfolds after that, I'll let the viewers watch and digest. A definite must-see with thought provoking messages embedded in the plot that is revealed to the beholder in delicious layers. 9 out of 10.