430 reviews

Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1

ASIN: B000ETDVYY

Theatrical Release Date: August 27, 2004

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Director Zhang Yimou brings the sumptuous visual style of his previous films (Raise the 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 with three weapons, each belonging to a famous assassin who had sworn to kill the emperor. As the nameless man spins out his story--and the emperor presents his own interpretation of what might really have happened--each episode is drenched in red, blue, white or another dominant color. Hero combines sweeping cinematography and superb performances from the cream of the Hong Kong cinema (Maggie Cheung, Irma Vep, Comrades: Almost a Love Story; Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, In the Mood for Love, Hard Boiled; and Zhang Ziyi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The result is stunning, a dazzling action movie with an emotional richness that deepens with every step. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews: Read 425 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Yimou Zhang - what else? September 19, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

As I read the others reviews - very accurated - and do not dare to say more about this " another-masterpiece " from the master Zhang Yimou.
I will just say that I saw it at the movie. That I had one copy, that some friend borrowed and I could not ' not-have ' - one copy to review and review.
No. I am using this chance to say that thanks to the cybernetics I can buy from the most serious and correct seller of this planet: I bought the dvd with an estimated delivery time of october 1st - and received it today, sept 18th !!! Perfect! Brand new! Hot! Crisp! That's Amazon !

5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good despite the hype August 24, 2008
Hero genuinely impressed me, much to my surprise - I'm not a fan of the humourlessly one-note Jet Li, who has always struck me as a character from Mystery Men who didn't make the final cut (useless `super' power - the ability to wave a flagpole around very, very fast) and after all the fuss made over the tedious, overlong and undernourished Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was expecting the Western critical praise to translate into another tired and overfamiliar movie that appealed mainly to people who hadn't seen much Eastern cinema. Boy, was I wrong. A gorgeous looking epic with a real sense of scale and amazing visuals allied to a complex plot, I was kicking myself for not seeing this one on the big screen. Not everything is successful (the duel on the lake never quite works), but more than enough is to guarantee repeat viewings. Li's limitations are used well for once and while Ziyi Zhang's petulant acting still doesn't entirely convince me, it's surprising to find the weakest performance coming from the film's best actor, Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Never at his most convincing in fantasy swordplay movies (the introspective Ashes of Time excepted), he seems a little underpowered for such an iconic role. But these are minor quibbles with a major delight.

Be aware that there is an extended director's cut available in China (the disc has English subtitles though there is a curious intermittent trademark watermark in the top of the screen), although Miramax seem in no hurry to release it here.

4 out of 5 stars

Who Moved My Hero? August 16, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful

Red version: Hero is the story of one man's quest (Nameless, played by Jet Li) to destroy the three assassins (lovers Broken Sword played by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Flying Snow played by Maggie Cheung, and Sky played by Donnie Yen) who tried to kill the King of Qin (Chen Daoming). Nameless bests Sky in combat, and Broken Sword and Flying Snow betray each other, all the while fighting off the King's entire army, until Nameless finally kills Snow. At least, that's the story Nameless tells the King, who is privileged with advancing within ten paces of him.

Blue version: The King disagrees. He knows the assassin lovers and doesn't believe the story. He instead believes that the three assassins sacrificed their own lives to allow Nameless the audience with the King, and thus a chance to commit regicide himself. He has developed a special move, the King theorizes, that can kill a man at ten paces.

White version: Now the truth comes out. Nameless explains who he is, where he came from, and why he is in the King's palace. Nameless has a technique that can skewer a person while missing all their vital organs, making the blow look fatal. He used it on Sky and he uses it again on Flying Snow. Surprisingly, Broken Sword is against the entire notion of assassinating the King at all, a decision that harkens back to the duo's first assassination attempt. It failed only because Broken Sword chose not to kill the King.

Throughout the movie parallels are made between calligraphy and martial arts, and specifically the symbol for the word "sword." There are deeper meanings within the brush strokes, a form of enlightenment that Broken Sword achieved and that the King discovers in his conversation with his would-be assassin. Nameless' decision and the effect it has on the other assassins provides the twist to the tale.

Hero is a breathtaking movie, filled with balletic martial arts, lovely scenes in vivid colors, and natural settings reflecting China's ancient history and beauty. It's entertaining and moving, and the relationship between Broken Sword and Flying Snow anchors the piece. The three different tales, each depicted by a particular color scheme, provides different backdrops for heroics, drama, and warfare.

On the other hand, Hero is a Chinese cinematic version of "Who Moved My Cheese" - it reinforces the status quo with a sinister charm. Killing kings is foolish, says Hero, because it only leads to more war. Nameless' decision is one of sacrifice, one for the many. Were this only a fable, the story wouldn't be politically charged. But the King of Qin went on to become the Emperor of China, who did a lot of great things. So, you know, killing him would be bad because China wouldn't be nearly as great without him.

The question becomes whether or not that matters on a greater moral scale. Hero clearly makes the point that we should feel sympathy for the poor King in his enlightened state. Revenge never gets anyone anywhere. And yet by reducing the course of history to the assassination of one man, Hero makes many assumptions: about the importance of said man, about the progress of China, about our own human failings. It's a very Chinese movie, which makes it either more authentic or less palatable to American audiences. It all depends on your definition of the term "hero."

4 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous settings, score, story, but what an ending July 28, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful

Not going to ruin the ending for people, but even with the sad ending, this is one of the best movies with Jet Li. It reminds me a lot of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince. From the philosophy of how to become a good king and betrayals thereof. Everything about this movie is pure aesthetic, and art for arts sake. The backdrop is so illuminating and dreamlike. How in one moment, the scenery is very green, then very red, that it gets really fun to guess what the next color will be. Overall, an awesome movie you don't want to miss.

5 out of 5 stars

Visual Poetry and Martial Arts Perfection for fanboys and filmsnobs, alike. . . July 28, 2008
2 out of 9 found this review helpful

First off, it is important to note that this version is the shorter, American version. While some of the changes were subtle, they do take away from what I consider to be a flawless film. For instance, the translation of Huang Di in this version is 'Our Land'. And while that seems nice, the true translation is 'All Under Heaven'. Just has so much more poetry to it. If you enjoyed this film in the US, seek out the original version.

Hero is fantastic because it is not a pure martial arts movie. With Zhang Yimou at the helm, there was something else to be expected of this film- and it delivered.

What Hero represents is martial arts filmmaking as an art form. While watching the movie the thought that kept popping into my head was 'visual poetry'. The amount of nuance and subtlety that Hero contains is hard to even begin to explain. But the more you watch, the more you see the little details that add so much to the film, mostly on a subconcious level.

See the colors change. Notice when all the sound is pulled out in favor of silence, or of just the musical score. The power of a scream where there is no sound is overwhelming. The interplay between regular and slo-motion is used, not just for visual style, but to jar ones senses or to convey an emotion that words cannot evoke. See th focus change as the direcotr leads your eye around the screen. Notice the arrangement of people and objects in the frame. Nothing is an accident. Nothing is left to chance. It is obvious that Yimou has control over even the slightest detail, a gift reserved for a handful of only the most talented like Hitchcock or Scorsese or Wong Kar-Wai.

The fight scenes in Hero are amazing because they have a life of their own. They weren't designed to "one-up" every other fight scene ever committed to film. The much touted Jet v. Donnie fight is extraordinary. Not because it is the most technically complicated or the most mind-blowing, but because it is designed for these two legends to be in perfect sync with one another. It is flawless. Even more so, it tells a story.

In the fight we see the essence of these two characters. And the fight scenes just get better from there. The scene over the lake still gives me chills when I watch it. That may well be the most poetic choreography I've ever seen.

What else excited me about this film is that Tan Dun returned from doing his excellent Crouching Tiger score to do this one. Except this time, he traded in master cellist Yo-Yo Ma for legend violinst Itzhak Perlman. This score is more accessible than the CTHD one was. And the music is like its own character in this film, sometimes being the only thing one hears. It complements the picture and the story brilliantly and lends much to the viewing experience.

I was disheartened to see negative reviews on the internet where people felt it was a film that was a propaganda piece for China and its rule. I understand that the real Huang Di was not as beneficent as he was portrayed in this film, and that his rule was violent and short. But what I saw wasn't propaganda for a communist/socialist government. What I saw was the beauty of a culture that evolved over hundreds of years of bloodshed and hardship. And regardless of the official party line, I was moved by "All under heaven". At no point was I ready to throw a Che or Chairman Mao poster on my wall. I don't think this is the movie that people need to worry about "sending the wrong message" to the kids.

This film was not meant to be any type of historical record (that's why we have history books and why movies aren't valid sources to cite in research papers). What this movie represents is filmmaking at its greatest height. The film as a true art form, combining on-screen and off-screen talent with visuals and audio that can stand alone, yet when combined, equal more than the sum of their parts. Asian film fans, martial arts fans, the average Joe, and film snobs alike should be able to appreciate this on many, many different levels.

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