In brief: Better than Crouching Tiger thematically, but it still dragged in spots visually, though it makes up for it in earnestness of ideas.

Written by Zhang Yimou and Li Feng
Directed by Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju Dou)

---Cast:
Jet Li Nameless
Maggie Cheung Flying Snow
Tony Leung Chiu Wai Broken Sword
Zhang Ziyi Moon
Donnie Yen Sky
Jiang Wen Emperor Chin Shi Huang Di

Hero is possibly the most theme-driven movie I’ve ever seen. The reason it is so clearly theme-oriented is because the characters and the plot, while serviceable, are not original enough or visually striking enough to take center stage; they are a means to an end, used to express the movie’s theme, so much so that while the theme is powerfully conveyed by the film’s end, the film lags in some spots.

The movie, inspired by actually historical concerning the unification of ancient China into one country, concerns the King of Qin, one of China’s warring states, who wished to unite China’s seven warring states/factions and become China’s first emperor. Standing in his way were three assassins: Broken Sword, Sky, and Flying Snow, who had made previous attempts on his life, and the king felt had to be killed in order for his vision to be fulfilled. A enigmatic nameless assassin (Jet Li) enters his court, claiming to having slain the three assassins, and presents their weapons as proof. What follows is a Rashomon-like series of flashbacks as Nameless (as he is called) relates to the king his story of how he bested the three warriors, and other versions of the story are offered in challenge to his.

Explaining the multiple versions of the story in any detail would entail significant spoilers, and take up too much space. (It would also be impossible, because three days after seeing the movie, I’m not sure I have them all straight in my head anyway.) It’s also somewhat beside the point. The movie’s central idea is the question of when violence is acceptable for achieving one’s goals, and when is it necessary to walk away and refuse to fight. The power of this idea lies in the way it is tied to Chinese calligraphy, and is best displayed at the end, when, upon revelation of a secret in that calligraphy, a choice must be made, a violent choice that may have significant short-term benefits, but whose long-term consequences may not be so beneficial. The movie is about choices and sacrifice. The main flaw, is that after a while, the different versions of the story become slightly monotonous, and I was actually nodding off a bit in spots. After that explosive initial fight scene between Sky (Donnie Yen) and Nameless, easily the best fight scene in the movie, and another impressive one between Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Moon (Zhang Ziyi), some of the ones in the middle seem a bit rote, and lacking in inventiveness. But despite that muddling middle Act, the film pays off at the end.

Visually, the movie is a feast. The opening fight scene makes perfect use of the mundane: Rain drops, coins dropped into a street musicians bowl, etc., and latter fight scenes also use their surroundings to full advantage: leaves in a wooded area, vast hanging draperies in a royal court chamber, etc. Lighting in key scenes is impeccable. There are, unfortunately, some areas in which things seemed a bit muddied or muted in light and color, but overall, it was quite lovely. Marketed right, this film, the most expensive Chinese film every made, which has already racked up a series of awards and nominations since its December 2002 Hong Kong release, could be this years’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when it’s released this November in the United States.

You can find out more about the film at upcomingmovies.com’s page for it here. I highly recommend you visit the official site, where you can download the movie’s two trailers, read about the actors and characters, see behind the scenes footage, and production photos as well. I saw the trailers myself prior to the screening, and I was so BLOWN AWAY by them, that this is what convinced me to ask my supervisor if I could staff the screening (for which I was not originally scheduled).

Anyone else see it yet? Or planning to?

I saw it a couple weeks ago, albeit on VCD. It's a visual feast, but I think the characters are not nearly as engaging as they might otherwise have been. The film's elevated, poetic style has more than a little to do with that.

I bought the DVD cause I love Zhang Yomou's work, although his earlier work with Gong Li far exceeededs anything else his did.

Hated Hero. Well maybe not hated, but I sat there scratching my head and all these visual feats of flying and walking on water that made absolutely zero sense to me. Did I see the same more everyone else raved about?

I've never had a problem with the superheroics in these type of films. Then again maybe that has something to do with having seen similiar tricks in similar contexts in anime like Ninja Scroll. ie a historical or pseudohistorical story with characters with amazing martial arts powers.

The use of colour in telling of the different versions of the assassination plot was interesting. I suspect this may have some symbolic meaning to some members of an Asian audience that a Westerner like me is completely missing.

We just saw this movie.

I loved it.

The characters may not have been as rounded out as I'd have liked, but this movie isn't one that is character-focused, it's theme-focused. The characters doing amazing "impossible" stunts is reminiscent of how a story or legend grows upon retelling. Perhaps the lake fight was actually a puddle? Who knows.

That's not important.

The story harks back to the old adage, "Violence begets violence." Use of force isn't always necessary to achieve the goal, but a lot of people fail to grasp this concept. That was the ultimate telling of this story, and one that I think was wonderfully and masterfully done.

I also enjoyed the use of colour for the different versions. I had thought for a moment that this might have been Feng Shui related, but it's not (the colors were wrong). My only guess is that red was used originally to perhaps denote that blood was indeed spilled in the defeating of Sky, Broken Sword, and Flying Snow. And that the white at the end was symbolic of the purity of purpose (Broken Sword had achieved what he set out to do, in making Nameless, Snow, and the king (through Nameless) understand the calligraphy).

Or maybe they were just really gorgeous colors. ;)

Either way, I greatly enjoyed this movie.