The Promise

aka Mo Gik; Wu Ji
Chen Kaige, 2005, China (8.0*)

Though not Kaige's best epic adventure romance, certainly one worth seeing. This fairy tale of a princess begins with a little girl stealing a bun for her dead mother and having a goddess descend to make a deal with her which will make her "a woman men will fight wars over." We then see her adult life filled with romantic intrigues and a love triangle based on mistaken identity, as she is courted by two kings and a slave.

This is full of magical images, similar to Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), yet somehow lacks the powerful artistry of that film; the story is just not as original or poetic. However, the epic look and feel are here, as well as romance, martial arts, fantasy settings, and ancient warfare, all done with terrific CGI effects, which makes this another Chinese epic war romance a "must see" for fans of this genre. They can usually make films like this for $5-10 million, so luckily fans get several per year of this caliber, while in the west it's more like one per decade at a cost above 100 million.

Chen Kaige excels at epic films, such as Farewell My Concubine (1993) and The Emperor and the Assassin (1998), yet his best, most rewarding film for me is the small, intimate father-son story Together (2002).

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The Emperor and the Assassin

Chen Kaige, 1998, China (8.1*)
This is another spectacular looking Chinese historical epic, similar in scope and look to the films The Last Emperor and Zhang Yimou’s Hero. Running over 2 ½ hours, this story concerns the emperor of Qin, wonderfully played by Li Xuejian, before the kingdoms of China are unified in 220 B.C. His consort, beautifully played, as usual, by one of the great Chinese actresses Gong Li, has an idea to return as a traitor to her province, at war with Qin, and get that king to send an assassin back to Qin in order to provoke a war that will allow Qin to take over Yan, where she is from, without the other kingdoms interfering. She ironically finds an assassin, whose story we also are shown, who has vowed never to kill again.

This is a long, complex plot that keeps you guessing, as no one seems trustworthy or loyal, everyone has a reason to kill the other. This has some terrific shots of ancient armies and attacks on cities, but spends a lot of time in the courts, and the acting is all superb, creating a Shakespearean level drama. Everything looks beautifully opulent, from the sets to the costumes. Any fan of epics, Chinese films, or historical costume dramas will not be disappointed.

Also check out Kaige's epic Farewell, My Concubine (1993), a three-hour epic that covers 50 years of Chinese history

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