Hero Review
by Balaji Srinivasan (balaji_cheenu AT yahoo DOT com)September 7th, 2004
Released as "Hero" in 2004.
Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi and Daoming Chen. Directed by Zhang Yimou.
**** (4 stars on 4)
Ying Xiong was the most expensive Chinese movie ever made; it was a huge hit in the Asian market. Miramax was going to release it in the American market when the whole idea was shelved; May be they considered it to be too soon to hope for another success like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (CTHD). Finally, thanks to Quentin Tarantino and others, the film was released in USA last week in theatres. Though the DVD of this film was out for some time, this is one movie to watch and savor at a theatre.
The film is set in ancient China, when there were seven quarrelling kingdoms, until the emperor of Qin unified the kingdoms to put an end to centuries of bloodshed. There have been quite a few movies that deal with this time period, from different perspectives, one portraying the emperor of Qin as a tyrant and the other portraying him as the great unifier. 'Hero' takes the latter side, opting to look at that period of history through an assassination attempt on the emperor of Qin.
The film begins with the entry of the warrior 'Nameless' (Jet Li) to the emperor's palace. The warrior, a low rated official in the Qin administration, has successfully killed the three fighters who were plotting to kill the King, 'Broken Sword', 'Flying Snow' and 'Sky'. The film then goes into Rashomon-style recounts of how Nameless managed to kill the three warriors, who were arguably the best fighters in that era. Each flashback reveals more about what happened and who Nameless is. The denouement is not a surprise to those who know their history, but is enthralling nonetheless.
The life of the movie lies in these elaborate flashbacks. The film sets itself with compelling visuals that are dazzling and almost take us away from the flow of the movie. The action is much better than in CTHD, as we see people sword fighting in air suspended from invisible wires to the slow drone of cellos without letting us worry a minute about the plausibility and the physics of such an action. The action is surreal; In one sequence, Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow) and Zhang Ziyi (Moon) engage in a battle where Maggie fights by sending a gust of autumn leaves with her sword. The visual of course, is amazing, as Zhang Ziyi, surrounded by bright yellow leaves, flies like a leaf herself caught in a storm. The scene ends with the leaves turning red to signify bloodshed. The whole screen is filled with a red motif now as Maggie strikes yet another picture perfect pose.
Each flashback is told with a different color. Everything from the costumes to the scenery gets a red theme, and then blue, white, and finally, green. Such a tapestry of colors is rarely seen in American films; Only the films of the Coen brothers come close. It says a lot about the work of the director Zhang Yimou. Those who haven't seen his past work should check out his earlier works 'Raise the Red Lantern' and 'Shanghai Triad', both starring the sublime Gong Li. Both these movies were visually appealing as well. As my friend so aptly put it, Zhang Yimou is like a Zen Poet, as this film shows.
Visuals aside, the film raises an important question about who is a hero in real life. Is he the one who fights for his home country and avenges the suffering of his ancestors, or is he the one who has the ability to rise up and look at a larger good and even give up his life's ambition for it? The film places different warriors at different mental levels, as it traverses from the least realized to the most realized soul. The questions that the movie raises are relevant to this day, as we see generations upon generations fighting to take revenge and die for the honor of their race. The film is filled with symbolisms, some of which may be lost to the western audience.
'Hero' could have done with better actors. CTHD had a better acting ensemble, and managed to get the chemistry right between Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. 'Hero' suffers, because Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung have no chemistry whatsoever. Jet Li was probably chosen due to his martial arts skills and his star power. He adds very little to the movie. In the most crucial scenes, he is stone faced, and in close-ups, caught like a deer in headlights. A Chow Yun Fat or a Ken Wattanabe would have probably done more justice to the role. The supporting actors do their bits, but it gives us the feeling that the director had put all his eggs in the cinematography basket and has not concentrated on the acting at all. I think this is a bit strange because Zhang Yimou's earlier films had powerful performances by Gong Li.
The other aspect that brings the film down is its insipid soundtrack. May be due to the success of CTHD, the same kind of soundtrack is featured here, by the same composer, Tan Dun. The cello of Yo Yo Ma added a lot of effect to CTHD; Here, Tan Dun's track with Itzak Perelman is like a never-ending drone that sucks the life of the film. I've never been so irritated by a soundtrack of a film since Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'.
The plot of the film and its ending also brings up another aspect that I won't expand on in this review: the troubling hint of Communist propaganda. Coming from a government where dissent is clearly frowned upon, the film is sure to hit a few nerves as some may interpret it to be a mouthpiece for the ruling junta. Several Chinese friends of mine were apprehensive of the film and what it implies. I think the parallel can be made, but I am willing to overlook it and not read too much in-between the lines.
'Hero' seems to be a sure-fire success in the USA box-office; It topped the charts the first week of its release. The film should teach a thing or two about the painting a poem visually. The cinematic language here is arresting. 'Hero' is a film to be seen and appreciated on the big screen.
- Balaji Srinivasan.
http://balaji.yi.org/blog/
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.
