Visually stunning political parable.

Rating: Null/10 (31 December 2007)

Hero is a film that draws heavily on both the influence of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and the collected works of Akira Kurosawa. The influence of Lee's films can be seen in the fight scenes, employing lush cinematography, balletic choreography, and a host of trick wire-work and digital trickery. The references to Kurosawa lie more in the narrative drive and the overall theme of the film, with Hero utilising a barrage of different character perspectives, flashbacks and flights of fancy to tell a political tale dealing with loyalty, revenge, leadership, honour and assassination.
The plot is labyrinthine, unfolding from different perspectives, replete with flashbacks within flashbacks that only become truly clear towards the very end. As a result, the basic story, involving the revenge plot of a nameless warrior against The Emperor of Qin - who has been waging a bloody war across China in an attempt to unite the six kingdoms - initially seems quite simple... that is, until Zhang begins moving backwards and forwards between the central character's various view points, in a style not too dissimilar to Kurosawa's grand masterwork, Rashomon. This gives the film a whole new level, bringing to mind a film like Oliver Stone's JFK, crossing backwards and forwards between various perspectives and possibilities, before finally presenting us with something that could (or perhaps not?) be seen as the ultimate truth.
Like JFK, Hero has already been attacked for trying to subvert history... with some critics accusing Zhang of whitewashing political history, whilst even going so far as to label the film communist propaganda. Wherever you sit in terms of the film's politics, however, there's no denying that Hero is a film experience quite unlike anything else, with the filmmakers using the music, cinematography and editing to help convey the underlining themes and emotions central to the plot, whilst simultaneously creating some grand moments of cinematic spectacle in the process. I've always been fond of Christopher Doyle's cinematography, with Hero really going further than any of his previous projects to present us with a world that is completely lush... a sensory overload of colour, texture and movement. The use of colour in terms of photography and production design is as impressive as the sumptuous creations of Zhang's subsequent film, House Of Flying Daggers (though with the added political concerns to cut through the notions of love), whilst the use of space and landscape is as impressive as that other Chris Doyle endeavour, Wong Kar-Wai's brilliant Ashes Of Time.
The film is continually interesting, building itself around those epic set pieces and the central discussions between Nameless and The Emperor of Qin. I genuinely feel that the film works best with repeated viewings, allowing us to take in all the information, politics and emotional perspectives slowly, allowing us to follow and deconstruct the story without being distracted by the glorious design, great performances and astounding flights of fantasy. It can also be enjoyed on a number of different levels... with the action scenes appealing to those who liked Crouching Tiger and similar Hong Kong martial arts fantasies over the last few decades, whilst it can also be seen a something to discuss (check out some of the topics on other websites discussing the broader implications of the film's message and historical value).
It's also great film-making, which is why I like it so much, with Zhang creating some beautiful moments, not least the relationship between the characters Broken Sword and Flying Snow, perfectly created by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai. As impressive as the great majority of the cast are (particularly Daoming Chen and the young Zhang Ziyi) Maggie and Tony are the real revelations here, bringing back the chemistry and tension so apparent from Wong Kar-Wai's great masterpiece In The Mood For Love, whilst simultaneously offering further proof that they're two of the greatest actors currently at work in world cinema.
Hero is a great film, one that I prefer to the subsequent (and somewhat similar) Zhang Yimou film House Of Flying Daggers, with the combination of martial-arts action and controversial politics creating a great labyrinth of ideas and emotions. The design of the film is continually astounding, with a number of jaw-dropping set pieces (deflecting the arrows, the golden forest, the fight on the lake, etc) and some nice emotional moments too (the growing tension in the confrontation between Nameless and Qin, the complex relationships between the characters, the final moments between Broken Sword and Flying Snow, and so on), whilst the story remains interesting and the relationship between the characters and their integration into the action is perfectly judged.