Poor Psychology

Rating: 3/10 (21 June 2006)

Hero falls into a category of beautifully designed Chinese dramas that weave unparalleled choreography into a timeless story. Unfortunately, the film seems to have gotten jumbled and some major character devices fell through onto the cutting room floor.
Specifically, there is a moment when the character Broken Sword and his companion storm the Imperial Palace. The companion holds off 3000 body guards while Broken Sword challenges the emperor in single combat. This epic confrontation comes to a close when Broken Sword - on the verge of victory for his glorious agenda - abruptly decides that he is completely wrong about everything, and the King of Qin who has declared himself emperor has a most righteous agenda.
Never mind the lack of anything the emperor may have said to give Broken Sword a change of heart. Disregard the fact that there is no indication in the dialog or even the subtext to indicate that Broken Sword is struggling inside. No, it just so happens that as he and his companion are facing innumerable odds and impossible circumstances to set right their perceived wrongs, and he is about to achieve his climactic and defining moment, that suddenly Broken Sword reverses his position 180 degrees, and instead of delivering the impending death blow on the adversary which caused him to dedicate decades of his life to this cause, he decides to walk away.
The argument in question is whether or not a greater social order is worth the infringement upon the lives of single individuals. While the audience may be willing to listen to a certain amount of proselyting on this idea, there is next to nothing in the background to indicate why Broken Sword even had a change of heart. No scenes are shown demonstrating the marked difference between the beneficence of the emperor's rule and the previously divided land; it is just written into the dialog as if the missing allusions to Broken Sword's newfound philosophy were present from the beginning.
This movie might rate higher in the minds of viewers to whom plot continuity and logic take a back seat to cinematography and scenery. To those who wish for a film to at least stay true to its theme, this one goes bust.