Yimou Zhang's Conversion to Western Movie Trends

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2003)

I'm a Chinese. Before I watched this movie, local media had done a great deal to introduce(or more correctly, jet) it to every possible corner.
And 'HERO' indeed became most commercially successful movie in China till today. More than 200 million RMB, or about 30 million US dollars is its neat profit. That's box office, not including the DVDs. But is everyone satisfied with it? I don't think so.
The problem is the story. Too thin, or too hollow to be told 3 times, even from different point of view respectively. I have watched 'LOLA RENNT' before watching 'HERO', so this kind of trick just couldn't be as interesting as Yimou Zhang expect me to feel.
But I have to say the rest part of it is good. The cast, the cinematography, the acting, the music etc., it deserves every cent it earns.
Still I should say this is a jump for Yimou Zhang. For his previous works are so realistic, free from intangible concept just like 'TIAN XIA'(under the heaven), true to your earthy feelings. And this 'HERO' threw away everything he emphasized before. This work deals with symbolic, abstract idea and dilemma situation to almost every main characters. He had used strong colors before, i.e. red in 'HONG GAO LIANG'. But this time he used colors so intensively and deliberately, contrary to the introversive and implicative way of Chinese tradition of film making. Counting in the commerce storm it brought, I had to say Yimou Zhang had changed his course to western movie trends.
BTW: Strangely, I found someone here focused on the comparison of 'HERO' and 'WO HU CANG LONG'(CTHD). I don't think this comparison is a deep pool to raise big fishes. For the story of CTHD is well known in China, written down about 70 years ago. And the assassin's willingly submission to the King of Qin is never heard before. Zhang created a new side of the old assassin's story, but not everyone appreciate his new version. Yes, the cinematography, the music, the KONG FU scenes are quite alike, but the most important thing about a movie, is its story, right? Or we just need computer to be director in the future.
And someone said it's a apology to tyrant, or terrorism. Oh, please, since I can't get anarchism from 'MATRIX' or 'FIGHTING CLUB', I don't get your problems from 'HERO'. That's an ancient story, dealing with ancient ideas. Although peace is still one main problem nowadays, we needn't follow those ancient ways to approach it.