Quite possibly the most beautiful film you have or will ever see

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2005)

When I first heard about Hero, I thought to myself that someone had come along and decided to cash in on the success of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. When I saw that Jet Li was in it, my expectations dropped even further. Nevertheless, out of pure boredom or desire to be entertained if nothing else, I decided to watch Hero.
By the end of the film, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was no longer in my mind. Mouth agape and heart-aching, I couldn't remember when I'd last seen a film so beautiful, so powerful and so brilliantly made. I also made a mental note to begin considering Jet Li as an actor.
Hero is set in an ancient China over two thousand years ago. At that time, China was split into seven smaller countries. The king of Qin (the largest of these countries), waged many wars against the other countries. As can be expected, this made him rather unpopular with the other six nations. From this, assassins arose whose entire purpose in life is to rid the world of this man. Three of deadliest of these assassins are Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Sky (Donnie Yen). So, when a Nameless warrior (Jet Li) is brought to the king's palace, claiming to have killed all three, he is hailed as a hero.
The film proceeds to reveal Nameless' story. But soon, it is revealed that all is not what it seems and there is more to Nameless than it at first glance. And, by the end of the film, he is hailed as a hero for a completely different reason.
Yes, it is a martial arts film, but one that is made by Zhang Yimou. This means that there is a solid story. Nonetheless, the fight sequences are breathtaking and beautiful to witness. However, the action can seem superfluous and tedious, and is the reason for why it takes the film so long to reveal the main body of the plot.
The story is carried by a strong cast, who bring some very good characters to life. Chen Daoming, who plays the king, in my opinion, gives the best performance. But it is one that is rivalled by that of Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, whose chemistry together really makes their heartbreaking story so much more real. Though completely overshadowed by the aforementioned talent, Jet Li proves that he is more than just an action star. And Zhang Ziyi shows once again why she is a rising star.
Undoubtedly, the most striking thing about this film is the cinematography and art direction. The lavishly filmed scenes at gorgeous locations are just one of the many visual treats in store for the viewer. The superb use of colour begs an explanation, but whether there are some deeper reasons behind their use or whether it was just what took Zhang Yimou's fancy is irrelevant to how provocative it is. To top it off, the king's palace is a lovingly created set and one to rival any of any film ever made and this is epitomised in the scene where Jet Li descends a flight of steps surrounded by a circle of soldiers.
The outstanding visuals are backed by some brilliant musical scores composed by Tan Dun (who also did Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). It was a strong tool that Zhang Yimou used very well. It supported, but never moved to the forefront, of the visual drama.
Unfortunately, being in Chinese, not much can be said about the script. However, being Chinese (grew up in England), I was able to understand parts of it and what I did seemed impeccable. But I am disappointed at how the script was completely butchered by the translation on the DVD.
Even though it is not perfect, Hero is a film filled with passion and drama, culminating in a message as powerful and glaringly obvious as the myriad of colours used. And whilst comparisons are unavoidable, it is not Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It doesn't stand with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It stands just as how a Hero should. Alone.