Reviewed by Cassam Looch
Stars Ziyi Zhang, You Ge, Daniel Wu, Xun Zhou, Jingwu Ma,
Xiaoming Hua, Zhonghe Zhou, Zeng Qiusheng, Xu Xiyan,
Liu Yanbin, Ma Lun, Xiang Bin
Written by Gangjian Qiu & William Shakespeare
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £17.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 131 minutes
Directed by Xiaogang Feng
A loose adaptation of Hamlet (hence the writing credit to Mr Shakespeare), The Banquet is a sumptuous feast. Combining the best elements from the regal story with the recent Martial arts effects from the likes of Crouching Tiger… and Hero, the result is stunning. With an outstanding cast and a director who is more than adept at handling this sort of material (as his earlier release ‘Assembly’ will attest), you should prepare yourself for an assault on the eyes and ears.
As the Tang Dynasty falls apart in 907AD China, the New Emperor Li and Empress (Zhang) try to regain control. The Empress’s stepson has been exiled and the new Emperor is in fact the Crown Prince’s uncle, who has murdered the true emperor and claimed the thrown. Still worried by the vengeful prince, Li orders the murder of his nephew so there can be no opposition to him. The Empress and the Prince were childhood friends, and secretly in love, however she was chosen by the Prince’s father as his new wife. Having failed in his initial murder attempt, the Prince returns to the court and is forced to join in the preparations for ‘the banquet’, where everything will come to a head.
The plot may seem impenetrable but rest assured it isn’t. The characters are all vividly drawn and will maintain your interest from the start. Little Wan (Empress) is wonderfully brought to life by Ziyi Zhang, familiar to many viewers thanks to her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha. She is suitably seductive and manipulative and brings the required energy to her scenes. The combination of martial arts and weighty plot may seem overwhelming, but it actually works better here than in films such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers. There the "mystical" elements clouded the plotting and structure, whereas here we have real world emotions and stories. Even some of the more supernatural elements of Shakespeare’s Hamlet are removed, to this version’s credit. Last year’s Curse of the Golden Flower was enjoyable if a little time-consuming as a cinematic experience. However, you will greatly enjoy every minute of this.
EXTRAS ** Unspectacular — just a making-of featurette and the theatrical trailer.