Movie: The Banquet

The Banquet has an intriguing poster … with Zhang Jiyi donning red, to portray a sultry ancient Empress … you cannot help but take notice especially for people who are aware of how exceptionally gifted this lady is.

With her stellar performances from 2046 and Memoirs of a Geisha, I do recognize her as perhaps the best Chinese actress of her generation … and she has amassed a wealth of experience from East & Western directors in the past years …

The Banquet is all about her, she steps big time into the limelight & holds her ground with yet another class act … she’s the empress, who wears so many shoes … first as a young lady who was married to the father of her lover, then married to the brother of her husband, the emperor … and from her demeanor and eyes, you can tell that all the roles she play … are breaking her as a person …

She loves the crown prince & he’s the key to unlock her dreams in youth, but he does not hold key to power. The new emperor bring her a new level of experience as a lover, but he’s the murderous kind and she does not trust his fidelity … and should she mourn her dead husband, someone she perhaps married for convenience or need?

The Banquet explores the complexities of human connections, ambition & survival … and as it borrows heavily from Shakespeare, the twists have a heavy touch of irony & tragedy.

The verdict? If you want a smash, bang & slam flick, this is at the other end of the sphere, but if you wish to explore the throes of human emotion … the acting is class to display richly the touches of the royals, cause it just reminds you that they are after all … human like us.