Hero Reviews

Beautiful but hollow Chinese epic

The first thing that strikes you about 'Hero' is undoubtedly how damn beautiful the whole thing is. Every frame of this Chinese epic is beautifully crafted by director Zhang Yimou and genius cinematographer Christopher Doyle. It truly is a film full of extraordinary sights quite unlike anything I've ever seen, and a look at the cast list seems to promise one of the great movies. But then something unfortunate happens, the plot kicks in.

The story of Hero takes place in a China divided into seven seperate kingdoms. The King of the largest of these, Qin(Daoming Chen) is determined to take control of all of these provinces so that peace can reign throughout a unified China. So he's delighted that Nameless(Jet Li) has turned up at his palace claiming to have killed the three assassins threatening his position - Broken Sword(Tony Leung), Flying Snow(Maggie Cheung) and Sky(Donnie Yeung).

The King invites Nameless to drink with him and receive his reward, but first he'd like to hear how such a lowly character managed to kill his three deadly foes, and Nameless proceeds, with the aid of some colourful flashbacks, to tell us. But then The King tells Nameless what he think really happened and, 'Rashomon' -style, we get to see a different spin on the story, with a different colour code.

It's a pretty thin plot on which to hang such a grand style of filmmaking, and it doesn't really work. The film is reduced to a series of stunning set-pieces and fights, and more fights, and then a few more.

The fight sequences in 'Hero' are simply too much. The actors spend so often floating through the air and engaging in slow-motion combat that it quickly becomes tedious. The similar sequences in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' worked because there weren't half as many of them, and at the time it was genuinely something new. Here, the changing costumes and settings aren't enough to disguise the repetetive nature of the fights.

The reason we remain interested throughout 'Hero' is mainly down to the wonderful cast. Jet Li is fine in the lead role, but the film surely belongs to the magnificent duo of Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. As in 'In the Mood for Love', their scenes together are electric and it's the moments of calm reflection they share that live in the memory beyond any of the battles. They are two awesome actors at the top of their game and it's a joy to watch.

Daoming Chen is also hugely impressive as the King, while Donnie Yeung and Zhang Ziyi are both underused.

'Hero' never really grabbed me, but for the most part the film is at least so incredible to look at that some of it's faults can be overlooked. The ravishing colours may mean you find it hard to tear your eyes away, even while you yawn.

Yowee!

I'm not a big martial arts flick fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed Hero. The fight sequences sometimes got a little tedious, but each was ended *just* in time, before my mind got the chance to wander too far.

It's the visual equivalent of a bag of Starburst, full of colour and flavour; moreish but at the same time not sickly sweet.

The one thing that I felt would let it down was the standard of the voiceover acting. It cheapened the experience somewhat, but I was glad to find (albeit at the end of the movie) that with a bit of a tweak here and there in the setup menu you can have the original Chinese dialogue with English subtitles.

I know I'm probably in a minority with my preference of subs over dubs, (and that fact alone will probably give you some idea of what my moviegoing habits are,) but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Watch it if you're with me, and I think you'll enjoy it.

Hero- look it up under beautiful.

I've always been a big fan of Jet Li but his Hollywood output, much like that of Asia's other leading export Jackie Chan, has never quite lived up to the Eastern counerparts of yesterday. Lucky for us then that Jet continues to make the kind of movies that made him famous in the first place, traditional martial arts movies in his native tongue.

Similar in style to Crouching Tiger, Hero boasts a simple storyline with incredible martial arts action and an impressive, not to mention easy on the eye, cast of Asia's finest talent. The thing that will stay with you longest though is the wonderful cinematography, Hero is quite simply one of the most beautiful films you will ever see. Both the tone and the mood of the film are represented by vibrant colours and quite stunning scenery. It's a feast for the eyes as the beautiful imagery washes over you.

If there is one criticism it's that maybe the storyline is a little too simplistic and could have done with a little more bite shall we say, but hey, this is still a great movie and I highly recommend it.

Beautiful to behold

If you're not sure whether to watch this and you enjoyed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, I would highly recommend that you simply rent it immediately. You will not regret the decision. It is far superior in many ways to Crouching Tiger - not in the least because it moves quicker, is easier to understand and looks a whole lot better. Watching Hero is like staring at a beautiful painting. The use of colour is simply stunning - if you're looking for a film to show off the capabilities of your new HD TV, this is certainly the one to do it. Its storyline is straightforward and easy to understand and it is a perfect length at a neat 90 minutes...making it much more accessible than films in the same genre, such as Crouching Tiger. Its packed with emotion and the underlying love story is beautiful to behold. I would recommend this to everyone *except* those looking for a hollywood martial arts fest - although the action in this film is some of the best I've ever seen, the plot is far too intelligent and gentle for fans of fast-moving hollywood spectacles. To everyone else, I can't recommend this film high enough.

Brilliant

Now, before you watch this film, you must be aware that it is not in English. There are subtitles though, so it shouldn't be too hard to follow.

Now pay attention at the back - the story line - Hero tells story and the king listens, then king says he doesn't believe it and tells his version. Then you get some extra bits to tell you what actually happened. So yes, it may seem a little repetative.

However, it is beautiful to behold. Absolutely stunning. Yes, for this reason the fact that there are subtitles is a bit of a bummer, because in order to know what's going on, you have to divert your attention away from the picture. If you understand Chinese, you are very lucky.

And, no. It's not believable, but only in the same way Crouching Tiger wasn't (all you superhero fans - they can't fly either).

Watch the film, and I mean WATCH the film, and the use of intersposed scenes, the use of colour, the coreography... Wow!

The murder mystery reborn

This film is not just about beautiful cinematography or wonderfully choreographed fight scenes though it has all of these. Neither is it a 'crouching tiger' copy.

In it's own right it stands out for it's depth and poetry. What so many of the other reviewers seem to have missed is that this is a mystery where you are invited to play detective. The same story is told through many different people's eyes, each person's memories being denoted by the colour of the robes worn by the players. You are left stunned by the subtlty of the story telling.

The fight scenes fit into the story perfectly unlike some in 'crouching tiger' which felt unnecessary, each one moves the story along and is a piece of visual poetry. The characterisation and interplay between the unknown assasin and the king, and notably also between Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung is stunning and puts to shame most of the film acting I've seen in recent years. These actors are true proficients.

All in all this film has everything you could ask for but I recommend watching it more than once to get the full impact of the story. I think this new form of mystery movie should be seen more often, subtle not being that familiar a word to most film makers!

Stunning but no plot....

A visually stunning piece of cinema, which although a feast for the eyes leaves your brain feeling a little left out.

Also beware - this copy had been dubbed into English/American - appallingly badly. Go for the original Cantonese with subtitles if you can.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Visually ravishing Chinese epic

Foe me this is the outstanding film of 2004. Using the attempted assassination of the historical figure Chin Si Juang Di (Chinas first Emperor) the film puts into context a different cultures interpretation of a hero and raises interesting questions about what constitutes true heroism and if its worth a period of war to bring about a lasting peace.

Though the performances are good with Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung outstanding the real star of the show is cinematographer Christopher Doyle who fills the screen with verdant colours and unforgettable images, but director Zhang Yimou uses the stunning indigenous locations to breathtaking effect as well and choreographs the balletic fight scenes with the beautiful backdrops so it all merges into one sumptuous whole.

The film is full of unforgettable images. A billowing cloud of autumnal leaves turn blood red after a death, a hail of arrows rain down on a calligraphy school, two warriors engage in a hallucinatory duel over a jade green lake in front of mist shrouded hills, while others spar with gravity defying grace in a rain spattered slate grey courtyard.

Anyone who fails to find something to admire in Hero should have their palette checked as its probably jaded beyond repair. This film is a feast for anyone interested in cinema and its potential for ravishing sensory overload. All you need are your eyes and ears and a cushion to catch your jaw when it hit’s the floor.

Nice to see, boring to watch

Visually splendid but otherwise hollow piffle...lost interest and dozed to the end. A waste of time. Savour 'House of Flying Daggers' instead and leave this one on the wish list.

[Highly rated reviewer]

A Beautiful Film

Just about every shot in this movie is a treat for the eyes. The composition, colour, costumes and lighting are all perfect. The story is mostly set in flashback and cleverly puts different versions of events to complicate what is in fact a very simple plot. However, some may consider it all a bit pretentious, but it is enjoyable all the same.