Championing A Cause For Style When Done With Substance

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2007)

If you are too watch just one martial arts come period drama film from Eastern Asia, forget Crouching Tiger, and understand what's in a name because Hero is a blistering, captivating film in very similar, and yet very different, ways to its predecessor. In what can only be described as an unintended triumvirate of films, Hero chooses to take the path declined by House Of Flying Daggers and concentrate more on the visual aesthetics of the film, rather than its story, although this is not to say its plot is obsolete, far from it.
One of 'the' most beautiful films of all time is praise often heaped upon this film, and to an extent they are not far wrong. There is only one adjective enough to describe Hero in merely one word, and that is lavish. Everything about this film is done with dignity, restraint and above all a very Easternised philosophy, yet manages to garner a feel of epic proportions.
Hero, tells the story of a nameless warrior who travels to the King of Qin to alert his Lord that he has vanquished three assassins that have haunted him for many a year, and prevent him from being able to fulfil his dream of united all the kingdoms of China under one banner. What occurs next are a series of flashbacks coupled with an explanation of the nameless warrior of how he managed to trick his enemies into lowering their defences and thus make themselves ripe for the taking. Before the real flashback story telling commences, Nameless (Jet Li) breaks into a fight with one of the assassins 'Sky' (Donnie Yen) and thus the directors intentions are revealed. In contrast to House Of Flying Daggers, the action sequences manage to further the storyline, and in a story where ridding a king of three assassins is the basic gist of the plot, fighting is somewhat essential. All these combat sequences are done with purpose and are shot sumptuously. They are never rushed and feel apart of the moving painting which Hero ends up becoming. Once Nameless has recalled his tale to the King, the King proposes an alternative theory as to what he thinks 'actually' happened, and from there on the true genius of this films cinematography is revealed.
The Director waited patiently to use the real life locations in his shots, as the lake used was only still for two hours every day, and he had a man on a telephone waiting by the trees in the sequence with Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi to let him know when the leaves were blossoming. Hero feels exceptionally well thought out and meticulously hand crafted, yet it is the colours, so ravish and engrossing, and their usage that stand out in my mind. Never before in cinema has colour been used so symbolically and as a means to further a story, which for all the talk of it being somewhat undeveloped is drafted well enough to flow throughout and achieve its ultimate purpose. Hero is a wonderful film, and it goes without saying the greatest work Quentin Tarantino has done since Pulp Fiction, to this day, was convince the studio executives into bringing this spectacle to western audiences, and if it weren't for films like Hostel, he'd be a hero too.