Chinese epic with breathtaking battles , baroque scenes and groundbreaking fights using wire work and CGI

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2014)

This impressive film has intrigue and action along with magnificent martial arts and breathtaking combats . In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor , warring factions throughout the Six Kingdoms plot to assassinate the most powerful ruler, Qin who subsequently founded first Chinese dynasty : Qin Shihauing . The king undertakes a bloody , lethal campaign and he is waging war to conquer the entire land . He has been made a target of various dangerous assassins : spear-wielding Sky (Donnie Yen) , Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) ,Flying Snow (Maggie Chung) and Moon (Ziyi Zhang) . A defense officer , Nameless, (Jet Li) was summoned by the King Qin (Daoming Chen) regarding his success of terminating three warriors . The King attempts to create an unified China , adjoining states . When a minor official defeats Qin's three principal enemies , he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory .
This classic Wu Xia flick displays lots of violence , action filled , thrills and fierce combats . This luxurious martial arts film was marvelously filmed with good production design , fabulous costumes by Emi Wada , luxurious cinematography and breathtaking scenes . It's considered by some reviewers as an ambiguous apologia for state violence but jammed as philosophical arts martial picture . The flick displays spectacular and overwhelming battles with lots of extras including use of arches , arrows and lances . In fact , all of the soldiers in the Qin army sequence as well as the palace sequences were performed by actual Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers, except the stunt performers ; it's estimated that 18000 were used as extras in the film . This is a colourful, China set and expensively budgeted movie ; leave no cliché untouched , though the fighting are magnificently staged . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises , fierce combats and overwhelming struggles . The lake scenes took almost three weeks to film because director Yimou Zhang insisted that the lake's surface had to be perfectly still and mirror-like during filming . Amid the grandeur of the scenarios and impressive fights is developed an intrigue about the China unification . Maggie Cheung required weeks of training , even Ziyi Zhang, who earned rave reviews with her martial arts performance in Cruching tiger , hidden dragon(2000) needed intensive training to become adept with the twin blades she fights with during many of her scenes in Hero . Colorful and brilliant cinematography by Christopher Doyle , Ziyi's ordinary . Appropriate as well as evocative musical score by Dan Tu ; he is especially known for his work on Crouching tiger , hidden dragon (2000) that won Academy Award and Fallen (1998).
The motion picture was compellingly directed by the Chinese Zhang Ziyi who has established himself firmly as a distinguished filmmaker/producer whose last films have generated millions in China box office . Originally released in 2002 in Asia, it would not be another two years until this film was released in the United States . Studio executives were concerned that the foreign-language film would not be successful at the box office with American audiences . Among fans, this is part of the "Zhang Ziyi trilogy," which includes Hero (2002), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and House of Flying Daggers (2004) . In all three films, her romantic relationship is ended with the death of either herself or her boyfriend . Zhang Yimou is an excellent and veteran director who in his films often explores the dark side of life in small Chinese rural communities . Most of his pictures begin with the title displayed in Chinese calligraphy style . He has achieved several successes such as ¨Curse of the Golden flower¨ , ¨House of flying daggers¨ , Hero¨ , ¨The road home¨, ¨The red lantern¨, "Shanghai Triad" winning several prizes in various International Festivals . And this Zhang Yimou's ambitious historical epic ¨Hero¨ , it has grossed at the Chinese box office to become one of the best biggest release of all time, including American tentpoles , being already the third highest-grossing Chinese film ever, as well as the top grossing Chinese film of 2003 . Rating : Above average . Essential and indispensable seeing .