Kingdom

In 255 BC, a fratricidal war has divided China into seven kingdoms. Shin and Hyou, two orphans of war, aspire to become great generals, training arduously towards fulfilling their dream. When Hyou gets noticed by a soldier who enrolls him in the army, leaving Shin behind, the latter works even harder in hopes of soon joining his friend. He wasn’t expecting his friend to return first, fatally wounded following a coup d’état against king Eisei, ruler of the Qin dynasty, for whom he acted as a double. Vowing to avenge his friend’s death, Shin sets off on an adventure that will incidentally lead him to Eisei himself. Fearless, headstrong and furious, he is determined to help the exiled monarch win back his throne, however unaware he may be of the grave dangers ahead. If they miraculously survive the sadistic assassins lying in wait, they’ll then have to defeat the troops of Seikyou the usurper and his legendary generals.

After having masterfully handled horror (I AM A HERO), science fiction (GANTZ), the superhero film (INUYASHIKI) and many other genres, the master of Japanese big-budget cinema Shinsuke Sato (BLEACH) takes us to China’s pre-imperial era of feuding warlords in KINGDOM. An adaptation of Yasuhisa Hara’s novel, this spectacular and propulsive fantastic-historical epic bursts with gripping, carefully choreographed battles. Whether one-on-one amidst a dense bamboo forest or against dozens of opponents in the middle of a large fortress, each fight boasts a unique style, majestic setting and larger-than-life enemies. Supported by a young cast with considerable experience in manga adaptations like JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE, ATTACK ON TITAN and the diptych GINTAMA, Shinsuke Sato mixes perfect amounts of action, humour, violence and drama to create one of the best films of his career. – Translation: Guillaume Desbiens