A film so beautiful it literally took my breath away at times

Rating: 9/10 (1 September 2004)

Before I delve into this review/random maniacal comments about the film 'Hero', directed by Yimou Zhang I want to make one thing clear. YES, I realize that this film is two years old. I have mentioned to several people that I saw this film, and upon mentioning the word 'Hero' I am interrupted with, 'You KNOW it was up for an Oscar two years ago, right?' For me that's like asking, 'You KNOW that Citizen Kane was in black & white, right?' As a matter of fact, a friend of mine had the DVD of this film over a year ago, when I sat and watched a good twenty minutes of the footage. Taken out of context, I found the scene that I watched to be ridiculously dramatic. A year later, I sat in the theater and was enveloped in one of the most beautiful films I have seen in my life.
Having never been a fan of Jet Li's work, at least his American films, I wasn't sure what to expect of the performances in 'Hero', a story told mostly in flashback form, of a nameless man who defeats three assassins in order to protect the most powerful warlord of ancient China. I needn't have been concerned, because while Jet Li's performance was average, his supporting cast was wonderful, particularly Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, both of whom I recognized from another great Chinese film, 'In the Mood for Love'. Both actors are able to speak volumes while saying very little, and sometimes, unbelievably, while keeping their faces frozen in one expression or another.
The story is deceptive; what you think is simple really isn't, and therefore made 'Hero' stand a bit above other films in the 'samurai' genre. What is truly the star of the film is the unparalleled beauty of the film itself. The use of color is astounding; vivid blues, reds, greens, and stark white  every color is intended to mean something different; it is up to the audience to discern their significance. Fight scenes are more like intricate ballet dances than the classic definition of 'fight scene'. The actors fly through the air and fight in improbable positions, none of which is new; we've already been intricately schooled in this technique since 2000's 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (and probably before), but the difference lies in the presentation and class with which these scenes are presented in 'Hero'. Zhang was able to employ a technique that is teetering on the brink of overuse and give it freshness by providing such beautiful surroundings: The water soaked fight between Nameless and Sky is a study in Honor. The duel in the forest between Flying Snow and Moon is so lush with its vivid red costumes and thousands of bright yellow swirling leaves that I literally gasped for breath because I had been holding my breath in awe. Maggie Cheung is the other standout in terms of breathtaking beauty. There were many times, particularly during the scenes at the calligraphy school, where I was held absolutely captive by her beauty and grace, something that I rarely even notice in actors during most films because I'm paying too much attention to the production values. Again, this is Zhang framing his subject masterfully. I also noticed a heavy anime influence in 'Hero', mostly in the fight scenes; a person is pushed into a wall and the wall crumbles but the person is fine, and particularly one scene involving a duel between Nameless and Flying Snow  there is a shot of Flying Snow that is pure anime; I have seen it in several series and it is compelling and beautiful.
I have managed to ramble haphazardly about the things I loved about the film 'Hero', but haven't said anything about what I didn't like about it. That's because there isn't one thing that I didn't like about the film. Honestly, not one single thing. After I saw the film on Friday night, I turned the film over and over in my head, inside out, all weekend and the beginning of this week. I came up with nothing that I can lodge a viable complaint about. 'Hero' is obviously not going to be for everyone; die hard action film people are going to find it too boring, and it's going to be too much of a samurai film for those in the romantic comedy crowd. All I can say in summary of 'Hero' is that I've rarely had tears streaming down my face so often during a film, both because it is rare that I see anything so beautiful presented to me on film accompanied with a wonderful and emotional story. Do yourself a favor and see this film on the big screen  it shouldn't be missed.
--Shelly