The Leader

It’s times when I watch movies directed by Yimou Zhang (House of Flying Daggers) I get to feeling that I am so damn lucky to be your average Joe-Six-Pack living in the modern United States of Canada, as opposed to Ming Dynasty China. For one thing, I don’t have to worry about jealous family members trying kill me for whatever reason, I don’t have any missing half-sisters with whom I am trying to score and my dad isn’t trying to poison my mom.

As far as I know.

Just an average day in the Forbidden City during the Ming Dynasty, the Empress Phoenix (Li Gong) is slowly succumbing to a mysterious ailment, for which she must take a special medicine, delivered hourly. Unbeknownst to her, Emperor Ping (Chow Yun-Fat) is having poison added to her tea- poison that won’t kill her outright, but definitely drive her mad within the course of a few months. In the meantime, her stepson, Crown Prince Xiang is hoping to become prefect of a neighboring territory in order to finally be with his love, the court doctor’s daughter, Chan (Man Li); the Empress’s own eldest son Jie, whom she has designs to become emperor one day, has finally returned after years at war and her youngest son, Yu, simply mopes around, letting his hatred fester just beneath the surface.

And that’s only just the first ten minutes or so; if you get exhausted trying to keep up with the plot or reading the subtitles, the incredibly beautiful sets and costumes will keep you watching, if not the bountiful and bouncing cleavage.

The fact is, there is so much going on in this movie it is so difficult to properly condense it into only 500 words or so. The clothing sets and dialogue are rich and subtle, betraying nothing until the end. The Empress’s own relationship with her stepson is given little mention, but remains clear in her mercy towards the doctor’s daughter; her own lust towards Xiang spares Chang’s life only for a little while.

The final showdown in the palace court between Yu’s honor guard, the Emperor’s trained assassins and army, and Jie’s militia will keep you on the edge of your seat. Emperor Ping’s most fatherly moment shows itself when he strips off his solid gold belt and senselessly pummels his son into the carpeting with it. If anything, be sure to avoid the dubbed in English version, as that will totally destroy the effect of the movie.

4 of 5

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