A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

The Evaluation System Reviews by Title Reviews by Date

Reviews from Video Reviews of the Classics Personal Background

Title: Hero (Ying Xiong)

Date Viewed: 8/28/04

Details:

Jet Li (Nameless One)

Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Broken Sword)

Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow)

Ziyi Zhang (Moon)

Daoming Chen (King of Qin)

Donnie Yen (Sky)

Director: Yimou Zhang

Score: Tam Dun

Score: +

The Review: A folktale from the mists of early China, a fantasy of ritual near-magical combat, a chapter of an historical epic of rulers and kingdoms past -- Hero (a.k.a., Ying Xiong) falls somewhere in between these cracks and follows in the footsteps of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Recommended.

Jet Li plays the mysterious Nameless One, an anonymous warrior who has defeated three superb assassins and arrives at the king's throne to claim his reward. The story of these defeats follows in tiers of flashback upon flashback and from several perspectives, but even amidst all the disjoint time axes the film is structured and visualized so well that one does not lose one's way.

Li almost fades into the background, and the king (Chen) is likewise almost a minor character, for all that their discussion frames the entire movie. The most effective storyline focuses on Flying Snow (Cheung) and Broken Sword (Wai), and to a lesser extent Sky (Yen), the three master assassins who have all tried to kill the king for their own reasons. Their artistry on-screen mirrors the artistry and superlative skill of their characters, from calligraphy to music to formal combat by sword.

The imagery and color saturation are wonderful. From the rippling silken sheets in the throne room, to the controlled storm of orange and red leaves as ritual assistance, to the sands of calligraphic training, to the raw power of the king's archers, to the pursuit over the mirror lake, to landscapes that both awe and chill the soul -- the cinematography is lush and appealing. And the nuances of character and plot are well done. While Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon might not withstand many repeated viewings, I think Hero might well do this. Powerful score by Tam Dun, with Itzak Perlman and Kodo. Released in the US rather late (original foreign 2002), with subtitles.

(29-Aug-04)

Back to the chronological list of reviews