Review of Hero (2012) by Peter G — 23 Dec 2009

Hero is a film I've seen numerous times over the years since I first saw it in theaters back in 2004. It ignited my flame for kung fu and it touched me with it's deep story about death for the greater good of one's country (even if it's message is actually Pro-Communist).

Having just re-watched it (on a rather disappointing Blu-Ray), I can still say that Hero is fantastic. The cinematography is out of this world (and is still one of the most beautiful things to be captured on film) and the action choreography is thrilling. It may not be realistic, but the movie stands for something much deeper than that.

The plot is very daunting the first time you watch it, but after awhile you begin to understand exactly what is occurring. To explain the story would almost ruin the joy of discovering what is happening, but I will sum up the initial beginning.

Nameless (Jet Li) is being brought in front of the King of Qin because he has slain three of the greatest assassin's in the land. He is to receive a reward for this gallantry.

During this retelling of how he defeated one of the assassin's, the King notices something is off with Nameless' story. This leads into the rest of the movie, a guessing game of who done it or what really happened. Once you figure it all out, the plot is actually extremely basic.

What it contains, though, is tremendous depth of character. The many assassin's that Nameless faces, Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Sky (Donnie Yen) all place their lives on the line for the unification of China.

Regardless of how blatant the movie wants to promote Communism as the greatest, one can relate with these characters. They are true patriots and seeing their courageous deeds nearly brings a tear to me eye.

The acting is fairly good, even if Zhang Ziyi contributes little to the overall story. Jet Li doesn't have the most physically demanding role of his career, but he still gets to perform many spin kicks and jumps. Seeing him and Donnie Yen in a rematch (after Once Upon a Time in China 2) is just amazing, especially considering how Yen has almost gotten better over the years.

Tony Leung was always a great dramatic actor and his performance here is very subdued and endearing. His talk about the king towards the end will make you question your own rivalries. Maggie Cheung also steals the spotlight in most of her scenes.

As I mentioned, too, the cinematography is stellar. Most of the action takes place on what seems like a poetic dream of landscape. CGI is used to enhance certain moments of terror or plight. One memorable scene in a section of forest with falling leaves will leave you breathless.

The music, scored by Tan Dun, is also some of the greatest music I've ever had the benefit of listening to. Most of the themes have been stuck in my head for the past five years, but seeing this movie again really did make me humble.

There really isn't much bad that I can say about the film. I suppose some of the CGI could be noted or even that the plot, after being solved, doesn't hold much gravity. Being a Wuxia Pen film, the action may be a bit too over-the-top for viewers of traditional martial arts films.

But that honestly shouldn't matter when watching the film. You're being transported to a land where National Pride means everything. You don't fight because you're a badass, you fight to gain a sense of pride. It's a very dramatic and gripping tale and I recommend it to everyone, even people who dislike foreign films.