Hero
Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung; Directed by Zhang Yimou
For the past ten years, the king of the Qin province in China has not known a full night of restful sleep. He has made it his personal mission to unite the neighboring warring provinces by any means necessary, but the bloody price for bringing about this kind of peace is losing the king votes of confidence, and has gained him many new enemies as well. Assassination attempts have grown so numerous that for the past decade, no one has been allowed to come within one hundred paces of the ruler. When the king hears that a warrior known as Nameless has eliminated three of the king's most ruthless assassins, - Sky, Flying Snow, and Broken Sword, - the warrior is immediately invited to the court to receive the king's personal thanks. Upon presenting the swords of the three former assassins, Nameless is allowed to advance within ten paces of the king to drink in celebration with his majesty. But as Nameless begins to recount his adventures in detail, it gradually becomes apparent that his loyalties, his word, and his motives may not be as innocent as they originally seemed.
Upon its U.S. release, this martial arts epic was subject to a barrage of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon comparisons. While there are a few similarities between the two films (gravity-defying battle sequences, lavish sets and costumes) Hero stands on its own two feet as a successful historical epic with a completely different narrative. The visuals alone are worth the price of admission. The symbolic use of color and rhythmic slow-motion, enriched by Tan Dun’s enchanting score, take the phrase ‘eye candy’ to a whole new level. Breathtaking locations include a fight scene above a mountainous lake whose waters lie perfectly still, a rooftop where two warriors proceed to fend off thousands of arrows with their swords, and a forest whose floor and treetops are covered in bright gold leaves, then change to blood red. The acting is very good as well, as the warriors are forced to put on stoic fronts that are ultimately stripped away to reveal the pure, raw emotions of disappointment, anger, pain, and love. As the majority of the story is told in multiple flashbacks whose storylines keep changing, our perceptions of the characters are also continually evolving. Characters we once perceived as heartless and cruel appear in the next instant to be honorable and noble beings who gain our sympathy for the sorrow they suffer. This is a testament to the quality of the acting as well.
This is a film that is very light on dialogue, preferring the visual aspects to carry most of the weight of the story. This tends to leave a lot of things up for interpretation, which is fine. It just makes the story a little less full and less direct than normal. Ultimately, what I liked best about this film (and was most surprised by) was it’s message of peace. The importance of understanding what it means to let the sword slip from the hand of the warrior, the true bravery and courage that it takes, and the selflessness that lets the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Poetry in motion.
Grading:
Story = A-
Originality = A
DVD Features = B+
Acting = A
Enjoyability = A
Visuals = A
Overall = A-
|
