Simply stunning. A genuine masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2004)

When sitting down to watch 'Hero', the Quentin Tarrintino presented, Yimou Zhang directed martial arts epic, there are a few things you should know: First, it is in Chinese. If that's a problem for you then the second part might even more so: it is a movie heavily steeped in Chinese and oriental culture. Third, this is not in any way, shape, or form a typical kung-fu movie-it is far more philosophical and meaningful than even Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. In short, this movie puts the art back into the concept of martial arts.
In 200 B.C., China was split into seven kingdoms. The ruler of the kingdom of Qin (played with gusto by Daoming Chen) sought to unify China into one nation, but attempts on his life from the neighboring kingdom of Zhao have left him paranoid and afraid that he will be unable to fulfill his dream. Zhao seeks to stop the King using its three top assassins, Long Sky (Donnie Yen), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chui Wai), who each have attempted to kill the King in the past. In enters Nameless (Jet Li), a local prefect of Qin, born in Zhao without a name, claiming to have killed all three and seeking an audience with the King to claim his reward. Slowly, Nameless tells the tale of how he outwitted and overcame each of the assassins and through the course of the film, the story's facts change as the King questions details of the tale, exposing more and more of the truth of what did and didn't happen and twisting the plot further and further.
The closest movie to compare this to would be Akira Kurosawa's 'Rashamon', which used a similar flashback technique whereby the same story is told through several different perspectives. Unlike the earlier masterpiece however, this movie only uses two storytellers, each asking questions and telling details of their own experiences with the assassins until the truth can be learned. The stories themselves are each filled to the brim with warrior philosophy, long discussions of how art and swordplay are intertwined, love triangles, metaphors, similes and all the other goodies that a deeply layered film exhibits.
The photography used throughout the movie is quite simply jaw-dropping. Each flashback and version of the story is told through the use of a different color palette, some in deep green or fiery red or fine yellows, each symbolic in terms of the story and the imagery captured. There are flourishes as well, such as the pink plumes atop the Qin army's helmets or the fiercely yellow candles that sit in front of the King. Each camera angle is carefully considered and composed, lending weight to the editing and acting. This movie looks amazing. In one scene, an endless hail of arrows rains down on a school and Nameless and Flying Snow go outside to deflect arrows while Broken Sword remains inside painting a poster board of calligraphy. Somehow, amidst this black rain of wood, in a time of war and turmoil, is a man whose only concern is finishing a piece of art. This might possibly be the most beautiful film, visually, that I have ever witnessed.
The pacing of the film is intentionally slow, but not overly so. It gives the film a very contemplative mood, allowing one to think about what they're seeing more than react to it. This even applies to the many fight scenes in the film. Combat occurs very quickly yet the detail and mood are such that you don't so much hang onto the edge of your seat waiting for the next sword-stroke, but think about the movement and patterns and beauty that the martial arts can be capable of. That isn't to say that the fights are not exciting, merely that they are different from what most have come to expect from a film of this nature.
Those who do not like warrior angst are probably not going to get too into the story of the film, since there are long bouts of the leads discussing the nature of what they do, but I found none of it intrusive or overly long.
Indeed the only fault I could find in the film is an unintentionally misleading camera shot at the end of the film. Otherwise, this film is as close to perfect as I could hope for.
Do not ignore this import. This is a movie that can be seen by a dozen people who each have a dozen different things to say about it. This is a classic in every sense of the word and a landmark in the martial arts genre of movie-making, taking further the strides that Ang Lee took with 'Crouching Tiger'. Simply put, this movie should be seen by everyone regardless of whether or not you are a fan of the genre.
4 Stars (out of 4).