In 968 CE, Vietnam, which had endured a thousand years of foreign rule, quells the turmoil of the Twelve Warlords and founds its first unified dynasty. Eleven years later, amid lingering rebel forces, the first emperor’s death sets off an operation to conceal the location of his tomb. Seven guardian warriors, gathered from across the land, risk their lives to scatter ninety-nine coffins and conceal the whereabouts of the real one. Director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh’s fifth feature, Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret Of The First Emperor, is a large-scale production with one of the biggest budgets in Vietnamese film history. It brings the tenth-century kingdom back to life with both grandeur and meticulous detail. Amid its elaborate martial arts action, friendship and love, passion and loyalty intertwine, drawing even audiences unfamiliar with Vietnamese history into this perilous journey. (PARK Sungho)