Who'd have thought university would be so time-consuming!
Who'd have thought university would be so time-consuming!
Member since:19.06.2005
Reviews:131
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Hero is director Zhang Yimou's first attempt at martial arts after several dramas and other genres of film, and since this he has also made House of Flying Daggers, which is supposed to be even better than this amazing film (I haven't seen it yet but I can't wait). Hero cost $30million to make, which may not seem much, but it is the most expensive Chinese film ever made. It went on to take $173million at the worldwide box office, and it was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2002 Oscars.
The story is based around the memories of its central character, an assassin called Nameless (Jet Li). Nameless arrives at the King's palace, claiming he has killed three other assassins: Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung) and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung). Cue flashbacks to brilliantly choreographed fight sequences between them. However, without giving too much away, as you move through the film the plot changes, and secrets emerge that completely change what you thought was going on. Eventually though, it turns
into a story of love, honour and sacrifice, which is very moving in its climax.
The main reason to watch this film is its combat sequences, and I have to say they are quite possibly the most beautiful I have ever seen, probably even better than Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Colour is used very carefully by the director and cinematographer, which creates scenes which will take your breath away. For example, when Snow fights another character, Moon (Zhang Ziyi), in a patch of woodland, they fly through the air in red clothes, whilst yellow leaves swirl around them. Then, when one of them is killed at the end, the trees and leaves suddenly turn a deep shade of red, and although I'm not sure what this is supposed to represent, it certainly looked amazing.
Other notable sequences include when Nameless and Broken Sword chase each other across a lake in some breathtaking mountain scenery, at the beginning when Nameless fights Sky in the rain and runs through individual raindrops bursting on his face (you kind of have to see that one to understand) and when Nameless and Snow fight off a barrage of arrows on a rooftop, that is simply superb.
The other thing that really struck me was the beautiful violin music that plays in the background. Some might say that it gets a bit boring, and I have to say the music is almost continuous throughout the whole film, but I found it absolutely fantastic. It matched the mood of the film perfectly and made the ending really moving (I'm trying not to give anything away).
Everything is captured in extreme beauty, whether it's a wide, barren landscape; hordes of charging army horses, or a single tear rolling down the cheek of one of the characters (that happens quite a lot). The acting from all the main characters is great, there isn't anything too demanding, but they handle the action and the romance equally well. The script is also well constructed, in that the constant changing of time is done well, and there are some moments that really make you stop and think. There are several twists, which make you think you know what is happening, then suddenly change everything, but these are handled in a good way, unlike many Hollywood films which just have ridiculous twists to keep you interested.
If I had to pick out any bad points, I would say that the romance side of the story can get a bit out of control, leading to over-the-top emotion and too many tears rolling down the cheeks. Also, the plot was a little bit too confusing (but maybe that's just me) and I can see why some don't like the ending, although I thought it was really good. However, the main problem for me was the fact that the film was dubbed rather than subtitled. You completely lose the beauty of the original language and the English voices always make me laugh! But since you can opt on the DVD to use subtitles rather than having it dubbed, I guess this isn't a problem.
Overall, I would say that this is a truly beautiful film like nothing you have ever seen before. Even if you don't like the sound of the romantic side to the story, Hero is worth watching for the genuinely breathtaking fight sequences. Go out and buy it for an experience that will stay with you for a long time!
Other stuff ________________________________________
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
I think my son has this. I will have to borrow it. Maureen
pinkmatchstick 06.07.2005 09:10
An good review you make this film sound interesting
JoePoirot 05.07.2005 10:07
If I can possibly avoid it I will never watch a dubbed film for the reason you identify. I thought Flying Daggers was marvellous so I guess I need to see this one. Thanks for review.
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Jul 3rd, 2005
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