this 3 hour epic ( seem much short ) explore the will to power and conquest and the conflict motif that underlie that quest by track two parallel life represent the emperor qin and whose desire to unify the chinese feudal state have it basis in noble aim but devolve into violent oppression and isolation and and ultimate powerlessness while and the assassin jing ke and a mercenary killer who come to recognize the unintended consequence of murder and find a form of salvation . a with all great art and this can be understand on many level . the movie evoke for me image and idea from homer and euripides and machiavelli and shakespeare and and freud . the story itself be true ( i check it out at britannica . com . ) and so this film will appeal to history buff . it ironic that qin spend much of his last year in a futile quest for immortality ( not show on the screen and but consistent with the plot ) . the movie can also be view a an allegory of maoism and the cultural revolution . through the movie and one can understand that the last 50 year of chinese history have have their precedent in the last 3000. fortunately for the audience and these complex idea be develop in a film that be rich in imagery and action and and pagent . the battle scenes alone be worth the price of admission .