Chen Kaige (陈凯歌) is a Chinese film director born on born August 12, 1952. He is a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema. His films are known for their visual flair and epic storytelling.
Biography from TMDB.
- August 12, 1952 (74)
- Beijing, China
- Director, writer, actor and producer
- 20 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
What are Kaige Chen's films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 19
Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 11
Grounded 4 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 5
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 12
Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 3
Casual 2 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 6
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 12
Resolved 11 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 2
Roles they play
- Mentoras Lu Buwei in The Emperor and the Assassin (1998)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic4
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kaige Chen's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Kaige Chen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
44 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
首届CMG中国电影盛典 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Water Gate Bridge(2022)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Action (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Something Just Like This (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Shu Zhen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Everybody Stand By (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
My People, My Country(2019)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Legend of the Demon Cat(2017)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Caught in the Web (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Monkey King 3D: Uproar in Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Sacrifice(2010)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Forever Enthralled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Turandot di Giacomo Puccini (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
One 2008th (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Turandot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
To Each His Own Cinema(2007)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Promise(2005)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Together (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
100 Flowers Hidden Deep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Killing Me Softly(2002)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Grand Mansion Gate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
吕布与貂蝉 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Temptress Moon(1996)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Farewell My Concubine(1993)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Life on a String (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
New Chinese Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The Last Emperor(1987)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
King of the Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Big Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Forced Take-off (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Yellow Earth(1984)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Flowers from the Ashes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Swan Song (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
风禾尽起张居正 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 44 titles, 41 of them dated from 1984 to 2026.
Film career
- 1987Screen debut· The Last Emperor
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Kaige Chen's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic5
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 71/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Kaige Chen work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kaige Chen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hong Chen shares the most, 9.
Directors
- Dante LamShared titles: Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Dante Lam
- Hark TsuiShared titles: Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Hark Tsui
- Aki KaurismäkiShared titles: To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Aki Kaurismäki
- Wim WendersShared titles: To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Wim Wenders
Writers
- Ke ZhangShared titles: The Volunteers: Peace at Last (2025), The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), The Volunteers: To the War (2023), My People, My Country (2019)See all 4 shared titles with Ke Zhang
- Xiaolong LanShared titles: The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Xiaolong Lan
- Jianxin HuangShared titles: Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), My People, My Country (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Jianxin Huang
Actors
- Yawen ZhuShared titles: The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), The Volunteers: To the War (2023), Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 4 shared titles with Yawen Zhu
- Yanhui WangShared titles: The Volunteers: Peace at Last (2025), The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), The Volunteers: To the War (2023)See all 3 shared titles with Yanhui Wang
- Zifeng ZhangShared titles: The Volunteers: Peace at Last (2025), The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), The Volunteers: To the War (2023)See all 3 shared titles with Zifeng Zhang
- Jing WuShared titles: The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Jing Wu
Composers and editors
- Jiping ZhaoShared titles: The Emperor and the Assassin (1998), Temptress Moon (1996), Farewell My Concubine (1993), Yellow Earth (1984)See all 4 shared titles with Jiping Zhao
- Dianshi LiShared titles: The Volunteers: To the War (2023), My People, My Country (2019), Legend of the Demon Cat (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Dianshi Li
- Zhiyi WangShared titles: The Volunteers: To the War (2023), Water Gate Bridge (2022), My People, My Country (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Zhiyi Wang
- Xiaonan PeiShared titles: Temptress Moon (1996), Farewell My Concubine (1993), Yellow Earth (1984)See all 3 shared titles with Xiaonan Pei
Producers
- Hong ChenShared titles: The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death (2024), The Volunteers: To the War (2023), Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), My People, My Country (2019), Legend of the Demon Cat (2017), Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015), Sacrifice (2010), The Promise (2005)See all 9 shared titles with Hong Chen
- Dong YuShared titles: Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021), My People, My Country (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Dong Yu
- Sanping HanShared titles: Legend of the Demon Cat (2017), The Promise (2005), The Emperor and the Assassin (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Sanping Han
- Ruoqing FuShared titles: The Volunteers: To the War (2023), My People, My Country (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Ruoqing Fu
Mixed roles
- Xiaojiang QujiShared titles: Water Gate Bridge (2022), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Xiaojiang Quji
- Ethan CoenShared titles: Une journée particulière (2012), To Each His Own Cinema (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Ethan Coen
- Jane CampionShared titles: Une journée particulière (2012), To Each His Own Cinema (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Campion
- Jean-Pierre DardenneShared titles: Une journée particulière (2012), To Each His Own Cinema (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Jean-Pierre Dardenne
