Set during the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (A.D. 907-60), a time of royal instability in ancient China, this is a loose adaptation of Hamlet with a little bit of Macbeth for good measure. The Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General all have their own enemies they would like to finish off at an evening banquet.
Though the Bard isn't listed in the credits, shades of "Hamlet" -- and even more, of "Macbeth" -- hang heavy over "The Banquet," a dark costumer of Chinese courtly intrigue in which the production design too often overpowers the protagonists...
Full reviewWhat if someone threw a fabulous banquet and forgot the food? The mesmerizing but often empty martial arts epic "The Banquet" -- from China's most commercial director, Feng Xiaogang -- leaves you feeling that way...
Full reviewIts odd mix of slow-paced drama and martial arts has created a lacklustre movie that won't make the mark its predecessors have...
Full review
Banquet is above all a visual treat, which manages to use Hamlet as a leaping off point for its own explorations of love, lust and revenge...
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