This beautiful movie had such an emotive impact on me:
A lot of people give praise to the movie for the use of colors and cinematography, but there is so much more meaning in each scene that it ranks one of the best movies for me. The scene where Falling Snow defeats Broken Sword, and the scene where Broken Sword shows mercy to the emperor, are the most beautiful scenes to me.
The assassination attempt shows that Broken Sword was truly the superior swordsman. He went there not to assassinate the emperor, but to learn who he truly was.
If you'll notice; the emperor keeps the court festooned and adorned with green drapes (green being the color of life), you'll also notice that Broken Sword is also wearing green, as is Falling Snow. The emperor is wearing black which symbolizes authority (and in some cases cruelty). The Emperor is solely focused on the opponent in front of him, whereas Broken Sword's fight is just a dance to learn who he's facing. When he hides, the emperor starts destroying all green drapes in order to seek out his opponent, symbolizing that he'd destroy the world to conquer his enemy. When Broken Sword truly knows his opponent, he allows emperor to try and strike him down and invites him into a riposte that would've spelled certain doom for the emperor had Broken Sword not shown mercy. Instead, he disarmed him, and you saw the emperors sword sever the head of the dragon on the pillar of the court and throne room, which was used to symbolize heaven's majesty and in some cases, a given dynasty that reigns.
This was to show the emperor that someone better may come later and undo all the work he's done, making all the noble sacrifices and death worth nothing in the end. You hear the score "For the World" by Tan Dun, but it's only the violin, emphasizing in that scene that Broken Sword has exhumed the measure of the emperor, as he walks away, all the green drapes fall to the ground.
(Tianxia - which broken down means something more than "Everyone" or "Our Land"; it means "All Under Heaven" showing humility and subjection to authority, but also showing that even rulers are under heaven's watchful gaze and must be humble as well). "For the World" is also "Wei Tianxia".
From that, the ideal came into Broken Sword's heart, that the government all the way down to the peasants are one body. Without the head, the body will be without direction, but the head must never tread down on the people and peasants (feet) - what sane ruler would stab holes in his feet? He would have nowhere to go from there. An emperor of a mass grave is no emperor at all.
Broken Sword understands that the devastation and desolation of war are things to be avoided, while embracing what matters around him - avoiding death where he can, and showing mercy wherever possible.
The last scene with Falling Snow isn't to prove he loves her, but to make her understand once and for all the true cost of victory; That is, only suffering awaits the defeated. Balance and harmony are attained by mercy where it can be shown and justice where there is no other way.
10/10 (That was my view of this masterpiece of a movie, or at least 2 scenes).