Synopsis
The Emperor and the Assassin (荆轲刺秦王, 1998) is a Chinese historical epic directed by Chen Kaige — watch it online on iFILM. Nearly three hours long, the film stars Gong Li and Zhang Fengyi in a co-production between China, France, and Japan.
Set during the Warring States period, King Ying Zheng of Qin is driving toward unification by conquest. To manufacture a pretext for invading a rival kingdom, he sends his concubine Lady Zhao on a covert mission: find an assassin willing to stage an attack on him. As the plan unfolds and the king's methods darken, her loyalty starts to fracture.
Chen Kaige frames the whole thing as a moral argument about what empire costs. The battle sequences are enormous and the period detail is meticulous — but the film's real weight sits in two performances pulling against each other. Stream The Emperor and the Assassin (1998) online on iFILM.
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