''The Assassins'', previously known as ''Bronze Sparrow Terrace'' or ''Bronze Sparrow Platform'', is a Chinese historical drama film directed by Zhao Linshan, starring

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: '' A Better Tomorrow'', '' A ...

as Cao Cao, a prominent warlord who became the ''de facto'' head of the central government in China towards the end of the Han dynasty. The film, released in October 2012, focuses on Cao Cao's life in his later years and depicts two assassination attempts on the warlord. The supporting cast includes

Liu Yifei Crystal Liu (born An Feng; August 25, 1987), better known by her stage name Liu Yifei (), is a Chinese-American actress, singer, and model. She has appeared multiple times on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list and was named one of the New Four D ...

Hiroshi Tamaki is a Japanese actor, singer, and model from Nagoya, Japan. When he was still in high school, he was discovered by a talent agent while out shopping with friends. He made his debut in the drama ''Am I Weird?'' (私ってへん？ ''Watashitte Hen ...

Alec Su Alec Su You-peng (born 11 September 1973) is a Taiwanese actor, singer, television producer, and film director. Su became a popular teen idol in the 1980s as a member of the boyband '' Xiao Hu Dui''. He was known as the "Obedient Tiger" (乖� ...

Annie Yi Wu Chin-yi (; born March 4, 1968), better known as Annie Yi () or Annie Shizuka Inoh ( ja, 伊能静, Inō Shizuka), is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and writer. Early life and education Wu Chin-yi () was born on March 4, 1968 in Taipei, Taiwan ...

, Qiu Xinzhi, Yao Lu and Ni Dahong. The film's Chinese title is a reference to the Bronze Bird Terrace, a

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

constructed in 210 by Cao Cao in the ancient city of Ye (in present-day Handan,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

Plot

The film is set in China in the late 210s – the years preceding the end of the Han dynasty. Over a period of two decades, Cao Cao had defeated

Lü Bu Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...

and other rival warlords to gain supremacy in northern and central China. In 216, he is granted the title of a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

king, the "King of Wei", by

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a so ...

, the

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...

Han ruler controlled by him. He constructs the Bronze Sparrow Platform as a showcase of his power. Lingju is the orphaned daughter of Lü Bu and Diaochan. She, like many other orphaned children of Cao Cao's enemies, was recruited in her childhood by Cao Cao's rivals to be trained as assassins to kill Cao. She meets Mu Shun, who protects her while she is in training and falls in love with him. Mu Shun is castrated and Lingju and Mu Shun eventually find their way into court life: Lingju is taken by Cao Cao as one of his mistresses while Mu Shun becomes a palace

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

. There are two major attempts on Cao Cao's life. The first is masterminded by Empress Fu Shou and her father Fu Wan. This plan fails and Cao Cao has the conspirators – including the empress – executed in front of Emperor Xian. The second is a revolt led by the imperial physician

Ji Ben Ji Ben (died 218) was an imperial physician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In 218, he started a rebellion with several others in the imperial capital, Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), but the revolt was suppressed an ...

and his supporters, but the rebellion is swiftly crushed. Cao Cao suspects that his son,

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...

, is involved in the assassination plots. Mu Shun fails in his attempt to kill Cao Cao, who reveals that he knew all along that Lingju is planning to assassinate him. Cao Cao promises to spare Lingju's life. In return, Mu Shun disguises himself as Cao Cao and rides out of the city, only to be mortally wounded by Lingju, who mistakes him for Cao and stabs him with her father's weapon. Lingju then commits suicide to join Mu Shun.

Cast

as Cao Cao *

as Lingju / Diaochan ** Zhang Zimu as Lingju (young) *

as Mu Shun ** Liu Jieyi as Mu Shun (young) *

Emperor Xian of Han Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last Emperor of China, emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. ...

as Empress Fu Shou * Qiu Xinzhi as

* Yao Lu as

* Ni Dahong as Fu Wan * Chi Cheng as

Xu Chu Xu Chu () (died 230), courtesy name Zhongkang, was a Chinese military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career as a bodyguard to the warlord Cao Cao and later became a g ...

* Qu Quancheng as

Cao Zhi Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style o ...

Bao Jianfeng Bao Jianfeng (; born November 3, 1975) is a Chinese actor and singer of Mongolian descent, best known in film for portraying Mao Zedong in ''The Road of Exploring'' (2011), Lü Bu in '' The Assassins'' (2012) and Chen Shuxiang in ''The Bloody of ...

* Peng Jingci as

Cao Xiu Cao Xiu (died 29 September 228?), courtesy name Wenlie, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord Cao Cao, Cao Xiu started his career in the late Ea ...

* Guo Jinfei as Chen Meng * Tian Ruihui as Mu Yan

Reception

The film premiered at the 11th Changchun Film Festival and impressed audiences with its accuracy and attention to historical details, both in terms of story and costumes.

References

External links

* * * *
''The Assassins''
on Sina.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Assassins (2012 film), The 2012 films 2010s Mandarin-language films Films set in 3rd-century Han dynasty Films based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms Chinese historical films 2010s historical films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links