Héroe

While i enjoyed this movie very much, i believe Hero will get the kinds of reviews and responses that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (CTHD) did, and still does, ie. either you liked it very much, or you couldn't see what the fuss was all about. This dichotomy of opinions makes for interesting study because it seems to cut across cultural and intellectual differences. Everywhere the film is shown, there will a segment of the audience that will love and rave about it, and another segment that will be wondering if they had been watching the same movie. I can't explain why this is so, but i suspect it has a lot to do with a viewer's initial expectation of the movie, and then his perception and appreciation of the nuances in the telling of the storyline.

Hero is a film that is beautiful in many aspects. The direction and photography is artsy without being pretentious. Every shot is worthy of being a work of art in itself. The language spoken is traditional mandarin, but oh, so easy to the ear, even though i couldn't understand every word. (I don't think Tony's and Maggie's voices were dubbed, but i could be mistaken). The main characters were very well acted out, especially that of the role of the Qin Emperor. Zhang Ziyi's character was largely insignificant though, so i think she's been put in to add some star power to the production. The fighting scenes are unusual by most standards, employing an interesting combination of CGI and real action. Some of the powers that the characters possess appear too amazing to be true, but remember that some of the fights only took place in the fighters' imagination. The music, though quite similar to that in CTHD, is appropriate, and sticks hauntingly to the back of your mind long after the movie is over.

I went to the cinema having heard some of the hype leading to the movie, but with no real knowledge of the storyline, and not expecting a lot. I think that helped me enjoy the movie more, because the way the story unfolded actually set me thinking and anticipating in a manner that i could not have had i known more about the storyline. The message at the end of the movie is simple, but certainly open for debate. In fairness, i don't think the director attempted to provide an answer, as to whether the decision made by the Nameless One was the correct one or not, but rather to ask questions. I'd better not give out too much here, but it certainly set me thinking about things for a little while after the show had ended. These days, any movie that can get me pondering after the credits go down has got to be pretty good.

Overall an excellent movie. I'm sure some areas could be better, but i can't think of any right now. Highly recommended.

Score: 8.5/10

A few things about this film struck me. My background coming into it is as an East Asian Studies major - I studied the language, culture, literature, film, history, religion, and politics of China. This was all done in undergrad so I am by no means the last word on the subject.

First of all, I noticed heavy use of Daoist symbols. The five elements were used - one per fight - fire, wind, water, wood, and metal. A message in the film seemed to show the Daoist idea that the harder you try, the worse you do, as Moon did in her fights. On the other hand, if you can go with the Dao (think: Use the force, Luke), you will succeed.

Second, I did not know before watching the film that it was Zhang Yimou's. His films are often critical of the Chinese Communist Party and sometimes have deep allegorical meaning. Some of his films are banned in China. Hero, on the other hand, seemed to be intensely nationalistic. Lately in China, the communist government has promoted nationalism (instead of populist Communist values as they did pre-1976) with a great degree of success. The use of the word "Tianxia" (literally "all under heaven," translated in the movie was "Our Land") seems Confucian and nationalistic at the same time. Although I would have not guessed this film was by Zhang Yimou from the plot or message, the cinematography was unmistakable. Hero eerily reminded me of another film, Yellow Earth (Huang Tudi), which Zhang Yimou did not direct but for which he did the cinematography.

Third, historically, Hero lacked in a few very obvious places. The Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was legendary for his fear of death and his Machiavellian rule. When his character states that he no longer fears death because of Broken Sword's words and invites Nameless to kill him, he is entirely breaking with the true historical figure of the emperor. Remember, this is the emperor who built an entire terracotta army to protect him from his enemies in death and spent a lot of money and effort looking for the secret to reach immortality. He was known for a Confucian philosophy spin-off known as Legalism, which is very similar to Western Machiavellianism. While his quick mind (or his advisor's) might have figured out Nameless's plot, he would never have hesitated in executing him.

Overall, this seems like a break from the usual genre one would expect from Zhang Yimou. I am not sure exactly what message he is trying to convey with this film, other than an endorsement of Chinese nationalism and perhaps Daoism as well.

Hero is noteworthy on at least two counts.

First, there are scenes of haunting beauty("Duel in the yellow forest" and "Turquoise autumn" to site a couple) that, like the best of impressionist paintings, are so affecting that you will forever see the world in a slightly different way having once beheld them.

Secondly, the overall message of the film is a provocative one. The claim is that a degree of human casualties and suffering may be the optimal path to a better world, especially when the alternative is equally brutal chaos. This is not a popular theme. It has become much more fashionable to be anti-war in all cases. And understandably so, since variations of this logic have often been used in the past to justify atrocities. But the film provides a crisp litmus test for avoiding delusion: action must be taken with a heart void of malice and an unwavering commitment to the broadest possible ultimate outcome of good for all. Can anyone live up to this standard? Several characters in the movie do, each in their own way. If the standard could be met, would the world be a better place? These are questions worth reflecting on that have not been dealt with, to this depth, in any film I'm aware of.

Rarely have I been so astounded by such a magnificent, awe-inspiring film. If you have not yet placed your eyes on this masterpiece of Chinese cinema then I cannot recommend this film highly enough. 'Hero' is by far the best Chinese film I have ever seen, and already a firm favourite of all time.

The imagery is unparallelled, simply draw-droppingly near perfect scenes, with bold and vibrant use of colour, symbolism and scenery. The fluent flow of the storyline, the delicate direction of the sword slicing action, the Chinese cultural concepts and the emotionally charged scenes between characters combine to produce a simply remarkable achievement.

This film has a few elements from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but is far, far superior in every way. The sleek direction from Yimou Zhang is so perfectly done, just imagine two martial arts experts ensuing in battle against each other, defying the laws of physics as we know it, and yet following them in 360 degrees in slow motion as one deflects a droplet of rain from one sword to the other, at the same time spinning and leaping over water... simply beautiful. The attack sequences are also superbly set, with hundreds of thousands of the King's warriors in formation, simultaneously firing enough arrows into the city which literally cover the sky, in addition to the viewer being able to watch the journey of a single arrowhead aimed during this event. The build up to the attack along with the unnerving tune of a Chinese stringed instrument help you, as the audience, to become firmly engrossed in your seat.

The individual martial arts is also second to none, for myself particularly to see the distant shots of the whole battle sequence showing the true skills involved with fighting, such as footwork, perfect timing,aggression, counter attacks and defence. Jet Li shows he is truly the grand daddy of martial arts. I cannot stress enough how much you need this film in your life.

The colourful imagery imposed by the director will take your breath away with luscious, vivid, bright, wind-blown,draped backgrounds as the setting for the important progression of the story. Even the story itself is brought to the audience in such a way which ensures your undivided attention, as there are twists in the tales and hidden plots which do not develop until the end of the film.Even short individual scenes are memorable due to their sheer awesome display of skill and speed.

This film even holds a political message which is relevant to all times, especially in today's American-lead world dominance. This film has absolutely everything - including an extremely sexy young Ziyi Zhang who simply is the biggest hype to come out of china since SARS.

This film was released in 2002, but this is certainly one of my all time favourites and will probably be the best film I see all year. I have never been more enthusiastic to pursue films in this genre in my life. For more action type enthusiasts who like more gore and violence check out 'Ong Bak', but for people who appreciate a fuller, visionary piece of martial arts filming, this will leave you speechless.

"Hero" is a visually stunning film which tells a wonderful story. It is centered around three men-a swordsman, an emperor, and a calligrapher-who are incredibly passionate and driven. All of the main characters, including the supporting female roles, are easy to relate to. Although the story is slow-paced and projects an air of calm, it has this certain sense of urgency that will never leave you feeling bored. In this way it's unlike-and maybe even the polar opposite of-every kung fu movie I've ever seen.

I was told Hero was the most expensive movie China had ever made (at that time), and in this case, the money went to good use. With its superb direction, cinematography, and soundtrack, this film will certainly stick out among the typically fast-paced, action-heavy films from China.

One thing that will stand out about this film is its use of color, which many of its reviewers rightfully praised. Without spoiling anything, how color is used to tell this story is both visually beautiful and psychologically intriguing. Combined with its incredible soundtrack, it will very likely have artistically-inclined viewers agape and speechless. In the very least, "Hero" is a feast for the senses-like a fireworks show of color and sound. At its best, it is a wonderful story about nationalism, self-examination, and love which is told in an unusually beautiful fashion.

As many will tell you, if you liked "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", you're likely to enjoy this just as much-especially if you liked the quieter, more introspective scenes in that film. Because there is so little to compare it to, "Hero" is a difficult film to review. However, that only gives you another reason to give it a chance. And finally, it must be said that this is Jet Li at his very best.