'Rashomon' meets 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2004)

HERO (2004) ***1/2 Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Daoming Chen, Donnie Yen. (Dir: Yimou Zhang) 'Rashomon' meets 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Although foreign films are not my forte I do attempt to catch any buzz worthy flick no matter if it's subtitled or not. Attempting to broaden my cinematic horizons I was pleasantly surprised and rewarded with the latest Asian action flick cum romantic fantasy from master filmmaker Yimou Zhang ('Raise the Red Lantern').
With a nod to Sergio Leone, the film begins with a stern faced warrior with No Name (literally called Nameless) played by stony stoic Li who sets out to assassinate the king of pre-unified China, Qin (Chen) for vengeance and freedom but in order to do so he must pass a series of basically Mother May I, in being allowed by the leader no less (!), to advance a number of paces after telling him the story of how he came to his plot to waste him and the only obstacle is the truth. Should he lie the king's armed soldiers  all awaiting for just the right time to do just that, will immediately kill him.
Nameless has a vivid imagination and gets most of his story right in the way that he enlists a triumvirate of notoriously fierce swordsman (and woman) to join him in overthrowing the stranglehold of the emperor by jousting to the death (or so it would seem) to have him as a murderous proxy. What follows is the various viewpoints that is told several times a la Kurosawa's classic tale of chicanery 'Rashomon' where small details are changed and new layers are revealed.
What is most striking about the film is the amazing production design by Tingxiao Huo and Zhenzhou Yi in displaying each summary in astounding primary colors  blue, red, yellow, white and green  that practically sear the viewer's corneas with such vibrancy and textures. Equally impressive is the beautifully rendered cinematography by Christopher Doyle and impeccable art direction by Tingxiao Huo. All are Oscar worthy candidates in arguably the most handsomely filmed epic in some time.
Zhang has a commanding presence incorporating David Lean epic with Kurosawa's assured hand in presentation and character including the trio of fighters including Chiu Wai, Cheung and Yen, the former duo impassioned lovers who love the sword only slightly more than one another and the latter a quiet yet impressive marksman. Li adds his own flair with the atypical flights of fancy that echo 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' which have been all the rage lately in both Eastern and Western film and admittedly are running on fumes yet here they do add more to the story that seems fit.
The battle sequences with literally thousands of the nastiest arrows ever set in a quiver are astounding in their CGI splendor and add visceral moments of anxiety as to where they will meet their targets.
One of the year's best foreign films and best films of any genre for that matter.