Crouching cash in!!

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2004)

I am not a member of this recent fad of Hong Kong films. I have seen maybe three of those films in my life time. I waited off the hype for Crouching Tiger determined to not enjoy it because everyone else did!! Immature or what!! But I did enjoy it, it was excellent. Then comes the inevitable cash in on that crazy fad in Hero. Not only do they utilize what made Crouching Tiger such a phenomenal hit but they use a well known Chinese actor who has made the cross over to English film in Jet Li. Hero was a beautiful movie. The cinematography was breathtaking and the use of color and dance like choreography is a must see spectacle. Where Hero falls short is a dead end story line with little background information that would have taken this from a run of the mill action flick to amazing epic story.
Our Hero played by Jet Li who is nameless in the film is a young man who initially appears to have saved the Emperor of Qin. A Chinese nation that is conquering everything around it. The Emperor who is seen as a tyrant has had many attempts on his life and the nameless hero appears to have systematically eliminated those assassins in order to receive, praise, reward and time with the Emperor. As the young hero weaves his tale of how he eliminated these master Assassins a much more sinister plot unfolds and the Emperor discovers this young man collaborated with these other Assassins only to kill the Emperor himself.
The two master Assassins in the film are almost a sub story worth mentioning. Broken Sword and Flying snow are lovers brought together by a joint hatred of the Emperor. The film goes into a little bit of detail about how they met and their previous attempted assassination of the King. Everyone in this film is excellent with the exception of Jet Li. This man was not meant to be an actor. He is a brilliant martial artist but his stone cold expressions never change and he is so lifeless in every role he plays. Fortunately for him some of his roles require this lifeless stone face so it works for him. He made a bad ass villain in Lethal Weapon 4. He shows little to no emotion in this film and this film is wrought with emotions.
The nice thing about this film being brought over to mainstream US theaters is it still holds it's Chinese traditions and heritage dearly. The philosophy and culture are so amazing that it makes you want to know more about these people. They were so passionate about honor and life and death and right and wrong. I highly recommend anyone wanting to learn more about Eastern culture to watch The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise as it tends to explain more about it. This film drops you into the middle of it leaving you to assume you know certain aspects of their culture. Nonetheless the film is mysterious and beautiful, breathtaking and stunning. The use of color is intriguing, reds, greens, oranges, it all must have a meaning. You could discuss and pick apart this film for days.
Were it not for these things, this film would be dead in the water because the story is very weak and plays out more like a video game than a film. Battle, Battle, cut scene, Battle, Boss, cut scene, Battle Battle, Boss END.
Still if you're a fan of the Hong Kong film craze you will love this film and it's worth seeing for the cinematic of it all and the amazing cinematography of the cast.
6/10