Worth Getting Into

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2004)

A subtitled martial arts film with a historical flavor that toys with reality - "Hero" may take some viewers time to get adjusted to. And yes, there's an awful lot of that gravity-defying wire-work that has recently surged onto the action scene and since become a favorite target for parody.
But "Hero" is worth it for director Yimou Zhang's magical visuals, particularly his vivid, glorious use of color. One also must appreciate Tony Leung's excellent performance as Broken Sword. Whenever the story turns to Broken Sword, his lover Falling Snow (Maggie Cheung) and his young protégé Moon (Ziyi Zhang) the screen lights up. All three actors are wonderful.
The film's ultimate message is something to inspire discussion. Is it about the beauty of sacrifice? The need for peace? Submission to the government? See it and decide for yourself.