"Hero": Visionary Meets the Technical

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2004)

Technical virtuosity versus the eponymous creative vision. As modern movie buffs, we are usually dealt one or the other, but rarely both. The newer Star Wars episodes and to some extent, the Matrix films, tend to be heavy on the technical pyrotechnics, but tend to be short on the pure beauty of visionary cinematography. Movies like "Amelie" and "Lost In Translation" are marvels of the color aesthetic, but their technical brilliance is subtle. One of those rare films that merge the two is the new Jet Li driven vehicle, "Hero" ("Ying Xiong").
This eagerly anticipated film by Yimou Zhang has finally hit the U.S. theaters, even though it was actually released overseas in 2002. Much like its genre predecessor, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", this film shows off the martial art known as wuxia, which deals with swordplay. Both films could be referred to as "wire-fu" since both heavily use unseen wires to allow the actors to appear to float on air, hang by a foot and walk on water. The difference between the two seems to lie in the addition of Matrix-style freeze frame style effects fused with the brilliant color play that Zhang uses to create contrast between versions of events. The combination is truly evocative and yet is still able to maintain the film's sense of integrity to the time period.
The cinematography and effects are truly the main characters in this film, but Jet Li turns in a quietly effective performance as Nameless, the hero of the epic tale that is part Greek tragedy and part ancient Chinese philosophy. In addition to Li, there are remarkable portrayals by Tony Leung Chiu Wai as the introspective assassin Broken Arrow and by the stunning Maggie Cheung as the tenacious Flying Snow.
For all the dazzling effects, inventive cinematography and its quixotic script, "Hero" owes a lot to the legacy of Akira Kurosawa, the legendary Japanese director who created some of the greatest foreign epics of all-time. Much of the storytelling and scenes are straight out of some of Kurosawa's greatest works "Rashomon" and "Ran". Even though Zhang seems to liberally channel the spirit of Kurosawa through some elements, the remainder of the film is purely modern. The use of stop action and slow motion photography is probably a little overused, but the techniques do create a striking tableau of billowy dynamics. The one problem I had with the film lies with the actual use of the subtitles, which are obviously necessary, but it makes one look away from the vivid images that Zhang creates.
If you are a fan of martial arts movies, epic tragedies or just a sucker for vibrant celluloid art, then you are in for a treat as "Hero" will appeal to all of you in some way. As for me...I cannot wait to see it again and catch all the things I missed!