in summary:
- Cheesy title; original (‘When Golden Armour Covers the Entire City’) much better, if not exactly snappy
- Great stuff, best Chinese film I’ve seen in years; most critics who disliked it were just too easily bored
- LOVED the way all the main characters had to constantly mind their etiquette and conduct, until the cracks started to show
- Amazing crowd scenes, superb sets and exquisite costuming. If I would’ve changed anything it would be the wirework and psychic parries in otherwise believable fights
- Melodrama of the highest order, with suitable acting from Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li. Thousands can be killed just to make a point. The moral: some men are just too strong to resist, but it is noble and beautiful to attempt it
- Some far-fetched coincidences: Royal Physician, his daughter AND his wife all linked to the royal family in a major way for totally different reasons.
- It’s never quite clear why the Emperor wants to kill the Empress, except that he’s just bored of her.
- Not entirely historically accurate (costumes especially) but rich with detail.
All in all, very enjoyable if not perfect film, which I sat through grinning at how every shot was so beautiful.
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