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It is the 10th century in Ancient China. The emperor dies under mysterious circumstances, and the suspected culprit, his brother Li (Ge You) inherits both the throne and the object of his lust—his hot, young sister-in-law, Empress Wan (Zhang Ziyi), who was once in love with the Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu). Threatened by Wu Luan who is certain his uncle killed his father the original Emperor, now emperor Li banishes Wu Luan and sends royal assassins to finish him off lest he attempt to reclaim the throne. The Empress, still holding a torch for the banished prince Wu Luan, sends elite warriors to protect him, leading to his escape. Wu Luan eventually finds his way back to the palace, which upsets Emperor Li who, failing to kill him in a duel, attempts to exile the prince again. High on his victory as new emperor, Li is unaware that some of his subjects see him as a usurper, and some—including his devious wife Empress Wan—want him dead.
The Banquet
is an elaborate visual masterpiece with lavish sets and costumes, masterful choreography and technical perfection. Every frame is a study in cinematographic excellence so overpowering that the audience, enthralled by eye candy, might just be willing to forget about the story or the rest of the film if only to have an eyeful more of the same. And that's the problem. Its makers seem to have focused on making The Banquet such a feast for the eyes—particularly the eyes of jurors at international film festivals—that they forgot about the heart of the moviegoer. For a film that's seen as a Chinese "Hamlet," that's criminal. The acting never seems to take off, the lines are delivered with not enough soul, there is ice in the emotions where fire should be. Had
The Banquet
given more attention to projecting the inner workings of the human soul, it would have rated a "4" from CINEMA, but as it is, artful though it is, it can't be judged as more than "average."
The Banquet
is a story of nearly epic proportions throwing the limelight on deceit, betrayal, lust for both flesh and power—evils that have resided in the depths of the human heart since time began. It gives us a glimpse of what wickedness man is capable of and sends us reflecting on the all-pervasiveness of evil. Killing your brother—didn't Cain do that to Abel? News nowadays still speak of the same crimes found in the Bible. Fiction and non fiction are filled with stories of obsessions and destructive desires—regardless of their geographical or chronological origins. And what culture, in whatever era, is exempt from the hunger for power, or free from sins of lust and jealousy? There seems to be no God-fearing character at all in
The Banquet. Its saving grace is its conclusion: see what happens to a life without God.
(Date Reviewed: 03 November 2006)
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