I have always been a fan of foreign language films; they nearly always seem to be able to portray the subtlest of romances without being brash, they are humorous without being corny, they portray repressed sadness with just a few heartrending words – so I generally jump at the chance to see a new film from anywhere other than the US (as I do tend to have a love for our own British films too).
I had wanted to watch Hero for several years; I was enchanted by ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and knowing it was under the ‘wuxia’ genre in addition to hearing its rave reviews I knew I could be confident in getting it.
The story is the tale of pre-united China, and more specifically of an assassin – Nameless (Li) – visiting a paranoid king (Chen) to tell of the other assassins he killed to protect him in order for a reward. As the film progresses the king tells his story of how he thinks things panned out – and eventually, the true story is told a third time. This format is refreshing yet confusing – and could be frustrating to those who like their stories to be a straightforward as possible. I personally loved it, and the colour changes between the stories (which give hints to the observant viewer) give an example of the beautiful cinematography and attention to detail that Director Zhang gives.
One example is a fight between assassin Flying Snow (Cheung) and servant girl Moon (Zhang). The contrast between the red outfits and the orange foliage is absolutely stunning, and worth watching the film for in itself. Another example is near the end of the film when Nameless effortlessly cuts down hundreds of green drapes around the King, and then the delay as they eventually all fall to the ground leaving nothing left around the two characters.
Even though the fight scenes do seem to drag on a little they kept me enthralled during the time they were on screen. The choreography is excellent and whilst some complain that the apparent ‘weightlessness’ is pointless or cheesy I believe it adds beauty to the fight scenes. It does seem to be a lot more toned down than in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and used a lot more sparingly.
The filming locations are absolutely breathtaking – from the yellow foliage scene that was filmed in Mongolia, to the scenes in the calligraphy school, to the mountainous scenes near the end of the film – whoever chose the locations managed to pick the ideal places to portray the emotions of the characters and the film at the time.
The score of the film is wholly appropriate to the film, and provides an excellent backdrop to the entire movie. From the fight scenes to the film’s closing credits the music used keeps you totally in the film.
There’s no doubt that the range of talent is impressive – from the more well known Li and Zhang to the perhaps less well known by Western audiences: Cheung, Leung and Yen. Whilst Li acts well, obviously putting great heart into the film, he isn’t necessarily the star performer in my opinion. Zhang gives an excellent performance as a torn servant, and the final scenes between Leung and Cheung were extremely touching. All of the characters put such effort into their roles that they are completely believable – such as Flying Snow’s breakdown near the end of the film. You actually feel for her character, and forget that she is fictional.
Hero is the kind of film you can just sit down to and watch from start to finish – everything around you seems to stop and you become addicted to the screen and the events. I’m not surprised that this was the first foreign language film to be No.1 at the US box office, although hopefully it won’t be the last.
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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
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Red Lantern,Shanghai Triad) to the high-kicking kung fu genre. A nameless warrior (Jet Li,Romeo Must Die,Once Upon a Time in China) arrives at an emperor's palace w...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Director Zhang Yimou brings the sumptuous visual style of his previous films (Raise the ... more
Red Lantern,Shanghai Triad) to the high-kicking kung fu genre. A nameless warrior (Jet Li,Romeo Must Die,Once Upon a Time in China) arrives at an emperor's palace w...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
One man will challenge an empire... In pre-Imperial China feared warrior Nameless (Jet ... more
Li) is granted an audience with the ruler of the most powerful of the seven warring kingdoms (Chen Daoming). Posing as a minor official Nameless sets about his mi...
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Advantages: Great Story, Beautiful Cinematography, Great Acting, Jet Li at his Best, Musical Score Disadvantages: Maybe too similar to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Some may find Martial Arts a bit OTT
rayliu 26.03.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Hero (DVD)
![Quentin Tarantino Presents: Hero [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78515208.jpg "Quentin Tarantino Presents: Hero [DVD] [2004]")
Aug 12th, 2007
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