Machiavellian machinations in ancient China. Long, slow, and overacted -- excepting the always exceptional Gong Li. There are some handsome images, and some spectacular ones -- especially in the big action scenes -- but there are also overflows of buttery light and milky light, and the scenes of dialogue tend to break down into stiff, shallow, monotonous mug shots. Directed by Chen Kaige. (1999) — Duncan Shepherd
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