Beautiful action and a unique tale of heroism

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2009)

In the east, specifically in China, war and fighting is art. To love many Chinese movies, you must have an open mind toward appreciating that idea, and to enjoy "Hero," you really have to be fond of it. The fight scenes are like paintings, the fighting choreography like ballet--if you can't take interest in that, well "Hero" can get a little boring or redundant at times, but overall, it's a film that attempts to uncover what truly makes a hero.
The film stars martial arts master Jet Li as Nameless, a hero who comes to the king of Qin in China to bring him the weapons of three fallen would-be assassins, knowing their is a high reward for them. The king is more interested, however, in knowing how Nameless managed to bring down three of China's greatest warriors, so through a series of flashbacks, Nameless tells his story in effort to convince the king of his accomplishment and trustworthiness. With good reason, the king is wary of Nameless' intentions.
It's not a surprise that Quentin Taratino has his name attached to "Hero" because of its similarities to "Kill Bill," at least in structure. There are various fights between Nameless and assassins Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Each fight seems to have some sort of visual theme to it. When he fights Sky in the earlier portion of the film, rain is the theme and various shots are meant to give the fight a completely unique look and feel from any fight you've ever seen before in film. One fight between Flying Snow and Moon, Broken Sword's servant played by Zhang Ziyi of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," takes place in a forest with pedals of dazzling bright colors blowing about. Color is a particular focus of director Yimou Zhang. In each series of flashbacks the costumes are a specific color as is the general color palette. It really adds some visual distinction to the film.
Most surprising is how well the film manages to communicate the idea of what it means to be a hero. Is a hero one who avenges and uses a sword? Or is he something greater? In the historical context of pre-unified China and rival provinces, it's particularly interesting to consider.