Hero Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)September 7th, 2004
'3BlackChicks Review...'
HERO ("Ying xiong"; 2004/US)
Rated PG-13; running time 96 minutes
Studio: Miramax (US)
Genre: Historical/Martial Arts/Drama
Language: Mandarin Chinese, with English subtitles
Seen at: Eastwood Neighborhood Cinema Group (Lansing, Michigan) IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/combined Writers: Zhang Yimou, Feng Li, Bin Wang
Director: Zhang Yimou
Cast: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi,
Chen Dao Ming, Donnie Yen
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2004
Review URL:
http://www.3blackchicks.com/2004reviews/bamshero.html
I've been looking forward to something that would get me excited about the movies again. I need look no more: HERO will definitely work.
THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
Of the seven warring states in pre-united China, the Kingdom of Qin was the most powerful - and, the most notorious. Qin's ruthless King (Chen Dao Ming) lived in constant fear of being assassinated, even as he was building a vast army in his quest to conquer the seven states. Hearing of his remarkable adventures, the King brought forth a humble prefect known only as Nameless (Jet Li), who was said to have taken down the King's three greatest adversaries: Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen).
HERO begins as Nameless tells the King the tale of how he conquered the three, thereby defeating their plotted assassination of the King; but is Nameless' tale a tall one?
THE UPSHOT
The convenient comparisons of HERO to CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON will long be made. And as a lover of the latter, it's likely no surprise that I equally loved the former. But if wire-fu is all you see when you view HERO, you're only seeing half the picture. If that much.
No, HERO is so much more than walking-on-thin-air stunts (and by the way, for those who still pshaw at the silliness of walking-on-thin-air stunts, I have one word for you: "Spiderman". And I don't wanna hear "...but he has a web-thrower!"). Part graceful ballet, part art film, part opera, part eastern Western - and, yes, part martial arts actioner - HERO thrilled me with its aesthetics even while it managed to leave me a wee bit baffled about what really happened in the end. But if I have to see a good film with an intriguing story more than once to soak it all in, hey, I ain't mad at 'em.
Though Jet Li is the headliner of HERO - and, to my mind, much better here than in silly American flicks like ROMEO MUST DIE - the real heroes of HERO were its supporting cast and crew. The tragi-romance of Broken Sword and Snow (accented splendidly by Zhang Ziyi as Moon) was the most intriguing mix in my mind; Leung and Cheung awed me in the way they made their characters so easily flow together. And while I would like to have seen more of Donnie Yen's Sky, Nameless' never-ending story brought that character back enough to almost satisfy me.
The solid support didn't just end with the cast. Christopher Doyle's cinematography was stunning, as was the martial arts choreography by Wei Tung. Even violinist Itzhak Perlman got in on the action; the musical action, that is. Putting it all together behind the scenes, director Zhang Yimou blended ballet, art, opera, Western, historical drama, and martial arts into a somewhat confusing, yet sublime, concoction.
That it took nearly two years, and the silly "Quentin Tarantino presents" tagline, to bring HERO from Hong Kong to America, doesn't surprise me at all. I'm just glad it finally made it to our shores. And needless to say, HERO will see me in the theater again soon...and will rest right next to CROUCHING TIGER on my DVD shelf the day it hits the video stands.
BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
I'm definitely excited about the movies again, if only for a week. To this critic, HERO makes up for a dozen Jet N Tha Hood flicks.
HERO rating: greenlight
Rose "Bams" Cooper
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2004
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
