In the Chinese epic "The Banquet," released in Japan as "Jyotei," scarlet is Empress Wan's favorite color, and it seems the entire film takes its cue from her color preference. There are no gray zones or monotone subtleties. Throughout, the story splashes and spatters red — blood, passion, sex, envy and betrayal. And the whole thing lasts a solid two hours. Whether or not you have the stomach for such a repast is a question to ask yourself. In any case, be prepared for a full-scale, lavish assault on the visionary digestive system.
The year is 907 A.D., after the fall of the Tang Dynasty. China is divided into 10 warring states constantly in conflict with one another and among themselves. The emperor of one of these kingdoms has died, and his young wife, Empress Wan (Zhang Ziyi), immediately dispatches a messenger to his son Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu), who is just 4 years her senior and her childhood sweetheart. The prince had been in recluse since his father's marriage to Wan, in a mountain retreat where he had dedicated himself to the perusal of song, dance and poetry. In her message, Wan exhorts Wu Luan to return to the palace, adding that his uncle, Li (You Ge), had seized the throne in his absence. Quicker than Wu Luan could act, however, Li sends a team of assassins to exterminate his nephew, who could be a potential threat to his newly acquired power.
The first sequence of events comprise the most spectacular moments in the film — choreographed by China's Yuen Wo-Ping (of "Matrix" and "Kill Bill" fame). Wu Luan's guards (all wearing white theatrical costumes and masks) do battle with the assassin warriors, encased in black metallic armor. Swords and bayonets are wielded with chilling precision and balletic elegance as skulls are pierced, limbs sliced off and heads decapitated so neatly the blood spurts in long, thin arcs that loop and swirl before seemingly evaporating into air. The prince hides himself deep in the waters of a pond and manages to survive the attack, much to the chagrin of the remaining assassins, who must disembowel themselves en masse to make up for their incompetence.