Review of Hero (2002) by Spangle — 09 Sep 2016

A beautiful masterstroke from director Zhang Yimou, Hero is a beautifully constructed wuxia film that is infused with history, Chinese culture, honor, and themes of overcoming hate and the pain that can be caused from not conquering that hate. Through this film, Zhang Yimou not only creates a terrifically entertaining martial arts action film, but he also creates a film that is a moving and stirring look at the unification of China and the sacrifices that went into that monumental step.

With beautiful cinematography to soak up every inch of the screen, Hero shows an adept use of shot composition and construction to go along with the cinematography. Used in conjunction, the significant moving pieces of each shot and the capturing of those moves creates a truly gorgeous film that is breathtaking to view. From beginning to end, Zhang's film presents a unique and melodic look at its action. Personally, my favorite shot comes when our nameless warrior (Jet Li) enters the palace of the King of Qin (Chen Daoming). The long shots in this sequence are incredible and truly soak up the entirety of the beauty of the location.

Additionally, Zhang's constant use of color in the film is incredible, namely in the battle between Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Moon (Zhang Ziyi). The changing color of the leaves is an incredible site and the significance unashamedly escapes me, but is a beautiful use of color all the same. When it comes to the battles, the Zhang's use of color emerges continuously and it is always incredible to view.

Now, of course, the main focus of these types of films are the battle sequences. As the film progresses, each battle sequence takes on new meaning, but is always steeped in Chinese culture and the Chinese concept of honor. These ideals, along with the ideals of a warrior, blend perfectly into terrific choreography of each fight with good special effects throughout. For those unfamiliar with wuxia films, seeing people flying can be a bit much. However, Zhang keeps this supernatural element restrained with a deeply human story and deeply human battles. Though they have unusual abilities, their hearts and souls and apparent for all to see.

(SPOILERS) Thematically, Hero's beauty is continued with a terrific take on the power of hatred. Driven to assassinate the King of Qin due to the King's killing of his family, the nameless warrior manages to overcome his hatred due to Broken Sword (Tony Leung). Moved by his words, "Our Land", the warrior is unable to kill the King because he now understands the motives behind his attempts to unify China. Though he is killed for this, the scene of their mutual understanding is beautiful and wonderfully scripted. However, the film continues on this theme as it shows Flying Snow kill Broken Sword due to his refusal to kill the King. Upon killing her love, she realizes just what her hate brought her: personal anguish. Zhang's execution of this theme is wonderful to watch and underscores the brilliance of Hero, which transcends borders and is a deeply human film, not just one aimed at Chinese audiences.

Overall, Hero is a beautifully crafted film that really shows its beauty in its cinematography, color, choreography, and in its themes. This is a masterful film from director Zhang Yimou that showcases all of the best qualities of wuxia genre, while also balancing the more unnatural elements with a deeply human story that is relatable for all.