Do you want to be a Hero?

If you are into Rambo, this is not the movie for you. If you like blood and gore, this is not the movie for you. If you hate subtitles, some of them moving off the screen fast, this is not the movie for you.

However, it is one of the most beautifully choreographed and photographed movies I have seen in a very long time. The movie is a visual pleasure, from the vast expanses of the Chinese desert, to the flowing fabrics of the robes, to the invading army's "serried ranks", to the fight scenes amid flying arrows, flowing fabric hangings, or falling leaves. Although I sometimes wondered, since the movie is shown as a series of possible flashbacks, how many times people can die?

The only jarring note I found was with the king. I'm not sure why, but I expected him to be much more excitable. The calmness of the assassins was expected. The calmness of the king was not. Was that the point?