The Banquet

The Banquet

Year: 2006

Runtime: 131 mins

Language: Chinese

Director: Feng Xiaogang

DramaFantasyHistoryAction

Nothing is more poisonous than the human heart. Crown Prince Wu Luan loves Little Wan, but she is wed to his father, the emperor, leaving him shattered. When the emperor’s brother Li murders the ruler, Wu Luan vows revenge, plunging himself into a deadly struggle to avenge his father's death.

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Timeline & Setting – The Banquet (2006)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Banquet (2006). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Late Tang dynasty

Set at the twilight of the Tang era, the empire is fractured and dynastic rivals maneuver for control. The court is a feverish arena of scheming ministers, ambitious emperors, and a prince trying to survive assassination plots. The historical chaos provides the backdrop for murder, poison, and a deadly power struggle.

Location

Imperial Court, Remote theater, Northern border with the Khitans

The film largely unfolds around the Tang dynasty imperial palace, where court politics and intimate betrayals drive the drama. Wu Luan seeks refuge in a distant theater, using performance as a sanctuary and a weapon. The action also shifts to the northern border with the Khitans, where intrigue and threats to the throne play out across a snowbound frontier.

🏛️ Imperial Court 🎭 Theater ❄️ Snowy border

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:24

Main Characters – The Banquet (2006)

Meet the key characters of The Banquet (2006), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Crown Prince Wu Luan (Daniel Wu)

A passionate musician and dancer who feels betrayed when his father, the Emperor, intends to marry his beloved Little Wan. He hides behind performances to reveal his uncle’s guilt and navigates a world of danger with poise, wit, and resolve as he fights to claim his rightful place.

🎯 Royalty 🎭 Talent 🗡️ Betrayal

Empress Wan (Zhang Ziyi)

A powerful ruler who uses charm and strategic calculation to seize the throne. Her satisfaction with power drives her to orchestrate poison and political moves, yet she faces the consequences of her ambitions as rival plans collide with personal loss.

👑 Power 🗝️ Scheming 🗡️ Revenge

Qing Nu (Zhou Xun)

The theatre-embedded companion to Wu Luan, official fiancée to him, and a quiet witness to the Empire's blood-soaked schemes. Her public performance exposes secrets while her own fate reveals the cost of political games.

🎭 Performer 💔 Loyalty 🕯️ Sacrifice

Emperor Li (Ge You)

The ruler whose ruthless plan to remove his nephew backfires. He grapples with the realization that those closest to him may have engineered his downfall, and ultimately ends his own life in a desperate act of power-tinged tragedy.

👑 Emperor 🗡️ Manipulation ⚔️ Endgame

Minister Yin Taichang (Ma Jingwu)

A high-ranking official whose position is endangered by the shifting power dynamics of court life. His scheming son, Yin Sun, becomes the instrument through which balance and vengeance unfold.

⚖️ Politics 🧭 Power 🗡️ Conflict

General Yin Sun (Huang Xiaoming)

The capable military leader who navigates loyalty to family and state, saves Wu Luan from a staged danger, and becomes entangled in the empress’s deadly plots. His fall is a reminder of the cost of civil and dynastic strife.

⚔️ Military 🧭 Loyalty 💔 Tragedy

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:24

Major Themes – The Banquet (2006)

Explore the central themes of The Banquet (2006), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👑 Power and Betrayal

The story centers on dynastic succession, political machinations, and the cost of ambition. Emperors scheme against rivals, while princes fight for legitimacy and survival. Treachery is layered with personal loyalties, producing a web of deceit across the palace.

🎭 Theatre as Weapon

Performance and spectacle become tools for truth-telling and manipulation. Wu Luan uses song, dance, and mime to expose a murder plot, while the stage becomes a battlefield where appearances hide deadly intent. The theater mirrors the palace's politics.

🗡️ Fate and Choice

Characters confront whether they can control destiny amid a lethal court. Plans to poison, assassinate, and crown shift the balance of power, forcing individuals to choose between passion, duty, and self-preservation. The ending leaves the outcome unsettled, underscoring the fragility of agency.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:24

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Courtly revenge tragedies like The Banquet

Bloody vengeance unfolds amidst the glittering poison of a royal court.If you enjoyed the deadly political games and tragic vengeance in The Banquet, explore more movies like it. This collection features similar epic history and literature stories centered on revenge, political corruption, and the collapse of dynasties within imperial settings.

betrayaltreacheroussombersuspensefuldeceptivemelancholicoppressive

Narrative Summary

These stories follow a protagonist's quest for vengeance against a powerful figure who has wronged them, typically within a highly structured and ornate setting like a palace. The plot is advanced through a series of betrayals, assassinations, and strategic manipulations, where personal revenge becomes inseparable from a larger power struggle, ultimately consuming the avenger and those around them.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on revenge as a primary narrative engine within a morally bankrupt, high-society setting. They share a dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and a steady pacing that builds suspense towards an inevitably tragic and bloody resolution.

Doomed dynasty epics similar to The Banquet

Grand, melancholic stories of a ruling house collapsing under the weight of its own corruption.Fans of The Banquet looking for similar movies will find more grand, tragic stories here. Discover epic dramas and fantasy histories that explore love triangles, power struggles, and the melancholic collapse of empires in a similarly dark and heavy style.

sombermelancholicoppressivedeceptivetreacherousgrandiosetragic

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread chronicle the internal and external forces that lead to the destruction of a once-great ruling house. The story is driven by a mix of personal passions—like forbidden love or ambition—and systemic issues like political corruption. The pacing is steady, building a mounting dread as the foundations of power crumble, leading to a catastrophic and emotionally devastating conclusion for the characters and their world.

Why These Movies?

These movies share a specific blend of epic scale and intimate tragedy. They are united by a dark, somber tone, high emotional weight, and a focus on the dramatic, often operatic, collapse of a societal structure, making the viewing experience feel grand yet profoundly sad.

Unlock the Full Story of The Banquet

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Banquet in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Banquet is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Banquet Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Banquet, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Banquet Summary

The Banquet Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Banquet with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Banquet Timeline

The Banquet Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Banquet Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Banquet

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Banquet: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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