Despite succumbing to Miramax's scissors, still an amazing movie not be missed

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2003)

The long awaited epic from art house director Zhang Yimou is finally available on DVD. Alas, American fans can finally get their hands this martial arts masterpiece that has shattered box office records in China. Despite a few shortcomings, Hero is a moving tale that will surly entertain, inspire, and teach.
Hero easily has to be the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. Zhang has created a movie that flows like a painting rather than a stream of celluloid. There are images and shots in here that easily can move people to tears.
The acting is top-notch and even Li who has been so limited in his American roles comes with a subtle, yet moving performance. My favorite performance however, was Chen Dao ming, who played the king.
The music is incredible with heartwrenching violin solos, angelic harmonies, and a little throwback to the Peking Opera(though I would have appreciated if composer Tan Dun would have tried a bit harder to make it sound different than Crouching tiger which he also composed). The music elevates so many of the scenes to levels that cannot be achieved otherwise.
The only complaint I have is that the characters are a bit underdeveloped. While, it's true that this is a result of Miramax demanded that Zhang reduce the film's running length since the original cut "moved too slow", it can't be ignored. There are good characters here, however, if you blink you will miss crucial characterizations that severely diminish any three-dimensional aspects to them.
The film will draw unnecessary comparisons to Crouching tiger, hidden dragon (which I believe is slightly inferior to Hero). Both are Wuxia movies and the similarities end there. While CTHD told a Western style tale of romance, Hero instead tells an Eastern tale of honor, determinism, and what makes someone a hero.