The Emperor and the Assassin

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The Emperor and the Assassin (original title 荊柯刺秦王) is a movie about the rise of the First Emperor, directed by Chen Kaige and released in 1998. At the time, it was China's most expensive film ever produced. It starred Gong Li as Lady Zhao, Li Xuejian as Ying Zheng, and also had Zhou Xun in a supporting role.

In the third century BCE, as China is in the throes of the Warring States era, the ruthlessly ambitious Ying Zheng turns his realm of Qin into a fearsome military machine and poses a growing threat to the existence of the six other kingdoms. Ying's favored concubine, Lady Zhao, suggests a ploy that would give Qin a casus belli to invade the rival state of Yan: she will have her face branded and use it as a pretext to defect to Yan, where she will convince the king to send an assassin to kill Ying.

The best hit man in Yan, Jing Ke, is chosen for the mission, but Lady Zhao discovers he has chosen not to kill again, and is living the rest of his life as a beggar. As she learns about the circumstances of his choice, Lady Zhao begins falling in love with Jing Ke, and after witnessing the brutal slaughter of children by the Qin army in her home state of Zhao, genuinely allies with Yan against Qin and wants the assassination attempt to succeed. Jing Ke, however, fails to kill Ying, and the latter is now free to complete his takeover of the land and become Qin Shi Huangdi, the First Emperor of China.

Tropes used in The Emperor and the Assassin include:
  • The Atoner: Jing Ke gives up on his life as a hit man after his last assassination involved killing a swordsmith and his entire family. However, he spared the smith's youngest daughter because she was blind. Unfortunately, the girl took her own life, and dies out of anger for Jing Ke for robbing her of her family. Ultimately, he only agrees to kill Ying Zheng because he actually thinks it's the right thing to do.
  • Batman Gambit: Having Yan send an assassin to kill Ying is a deliberate move to give the latter the excuse he needs to invade Yan.
  • Beard of Sorrow: When Jing Ke becomes a beggar out of sorrow, he sports the requisite unkempt look.
  • Beauty Is Never Tarnished
  • The Conspiracy: The Marquis of Qin, Chang Xin, plans a coup d'etat to remove Ying Zheng from power, so as to place one of his sons (which turns out to be Ying's half-brother, due to Chang having fathered two sons... with Ying's mother, no less) on the throne. This is a result of him losing faith in Ying's radical decision-making, which includes starting his war to unite China and removing the Prime Minister Lu Buwei of Qin from office.
  • Defector From Decadence: Ying's head general, who begins to lose faith in his king's methodical ways of eliminating his political opponents.
  • Empathy Doll Shot: Subverted as Lady Zhao arrives at a ransacked Zhao capital too late and finds small drums and other children's toys littered across the ground. Upon further inspection, she proceeds to find the kids as well... buried alive.
  • The Emperor: Ying Zheng.
  • Foregone Conclusion: Since Ying Zheng will become the First Emperor of China, Jing Ke must obviously must fail the assassination attempt.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: The brand on Lady Zhao's face is small enough that it doesn't detract from her beauty, but presumably the severe pain involved was the selling point in her scheme with the emperor.
  • Infant Immortality: BRUTUALLY averted.
  • Kick Them While They Are Down: When Chang's forces have found themselves surrounded in the palace courtyard, Ying demands their surrender. They don't at first, but a few volleys of arrows convince the survivors to lay down their weapons... at which point, Ying orders Chang's men to be slaughtered, anyways.
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