Synopsis
In 1899, Lord Kang must decide which of his three sons will take over his family's Chinese banking empire. When circumstances dictate that he appoint his unreliable youngest son, family bonds are pushed to the limit as father and son clash in a climate of political turmoil. Winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2009 Shanghai International Film Festival.
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Cast
- Aaron KwokThird Master
- Chang LantianEunuch
- Zhang TielinMaster Kang
- Jennifer TillyMrs. Landdeck
- Hao LeiMadame Kang
- Ding ZhichengManager Qui
- King Shih-ChiehManager Liu
- Jonathan Kos-ReadPastor Landdeck
- Zhen Yu LeiManager Dai
- Lü ZhongLu Sao
Recommendations
- 75
San Francisco Chronicle
Epic in sweep and scale and packs in enough incident to cover two "Godfather" movies. - 70
Los Angeles Times
Has enough going for it to make it likely worth the effort for fans of Asian cinema, but it does seem an opportunity missed. - 60
The New York Times
This weirdly engaging tale of banking and bad behavior makes 19th-century China look uncomfortably like 21st-century America. - 60
New York Daily News
The most interesting threads aren't political but personal, with a melodramatic romance providing some well-earned tears. Your final thoughts, however, are likely to concern Jennifer Tilly, who's so bizarrely miscast as a severe missionary that her presence becomes its own distraction. - 50
Village Voice
It's decent, exoticized pulp with a porcelain veneer, and should be consumed idly. - 50
Boxoffice Magazine
An historical drama so swamped by its soap opera crescendos, no resonant story can survive the wet. - 50
Washington Post
The movie is occasionally muddled and always melodramatic, yet it's pictorially compelling, thanks to dramatic locations and exacting art direction. - 38
Slant Magazine
From overwrought flashbacks of Third Master and Madame Kang's initial meetings (and sexual encounter), to the present-day arguments and maneuverings of Lord Kang, Empire of Silver is so determined to stage its material with reverence that it embalms any flickers of passion or tension.
