THE EMPEROR’S SHADOW Asia

The movie opens in 210 B.C. with Ying
Zheng, the first emperor of a united China,
making a sacrifice by the churning waters
of the Yellow River. Weary from a life of
war-mongering and bloodletting, he can
hardly stand without assistance, still haunted
by the memory of a certain Gao Jianli.
Through a flashback, we learn that Ying
and Gao were both suckled by the latter’s
mother, with Ying growing up to be the
ruthless one and Gao a talented musician.
Flash forward some quarter of a century,
and Ying is king of the Qin empire, waging
an endless war against other kingdoms
to establish dominance and a united
country. Gao, a musician in one of the
remaining kingdoms, is captured and
brought before Ying, who desperately
wants his childhood buddy to compose an
anthem for the Qin dynasty’s anticipated
final victory … -Derek Elley, Variety