Lu Chuan follows up his powerful City of Life and Death with this big-budget retelling of one of China’s many pivotal power struggles. Liu Ye, Daniel Wu and Chang Chen square off for control of the nation, but those unfamiliar with the historical facts will have a hard time following the numerous intertwining narratives. Multiple flashbacks, numerous betrayals, double-crosses and executions, coupled with breakneck pacing, result in a beautiful but confused mess of epic proportions.