this be an epic film about the unification of the ancient kingdom of china in the third century bc . what make it interesting be the tragic downfall of the king and all the palace intrigue go on around him . it remind me a bit of king lear and some of the other shakespeare play . the king start out with noble ambition and to unify the kingdom under one ruler and to stop all the quarrel so that the people can prosper and lead good life . he and his childhood sweetheart and play beautifully by li gong and concoct a scheme whereby she pretend to go into exile in a rival kingdom in order to recruit an assassin to kill the king and thus give him a pretext to go to war . but while she away and the king become sadistic in his lust for power and go on a killing spree . there be numerous side plot that keep the action go . there be the marquis and who pretend to be stupid and foppish but who really very clever and want to become king himself . he father two child with the king mother and manages to keep it secret for year . then there be the prime minister and a political rival to the king and who turn out to really be his father . the assassin be a complex character himself . an adept swordsman and killer and he be undergo a reformation when the king lover come to recruit him . he want nothing more with kill and but be eventually win over by li gong ( who wouldn not be . ) when he see how cruel and vicious the king have become . some spectacular cinematography and especially the battle scene that be carry out on a grand scale like they use to say and a cast of thousand and literally . the acting be ok and nothing special . it the story that interesting and though at over two and a half hour and it push the limit . definitely worth view .