Overrated.

Rating: 5/10 (21 February 2006)

Quentin Tarantino slaps his name onto this nifty Jet Li kung-fu flick to get it released in the United States. It's not necessarily a bad movie, but I don't see why he'd go through so much effort to get it released in our country's theaters.
Hero is a good flick in many aspects, but lacking in some areas. It tells the tale of a young fighter who approaches some Asian warlord to let him know he had defeated three assassins who were after him. Hearing that plot outline doesn't really draw you in, does it? Not me, really.
The storyline is the movie's biggest flaw. I can't go too in depth about it so as to avoid giving spoilers, but several events and 'twists' happen in the movie that tend to confuse more than shock the viewer. Most of the movie is shown through these flashbacks that Jet Li's character has as he explains to the high-powered warlord his stories.
Because of this, it gets hard to distinguish what has actually happened and what hasn't. I mean, you can end up pretty much assuming and figuring it out on your own, but to be confused at all is a big no-no for movies, except for 'whodunnit' mysteries. But, even after you figure out what's actually going on, you still feel that the plot is pretty stupid. I thought to myself, "Wow, that's pretty gay," in the theater after realizing what was happening on the screen.
The visuals are excellent. Fantastic fight sequences and superb visual effects are great, and definitely make the movie experience more enjoyable.
In a nutshell, great visuals barely save a lame storyline in this particular movie. It may be good enough to watch one time, but I wouldn't suggest paying for the DVD when it comes out. My advice; stick to the Sonny Chiba classics instead.