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There are few films that are more breathtaking than Zhang Yimou's Hero. Combining an incredible cast, including Wong Kar-Wai favourites Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang, the most potent martial arts star of recent years, Jet Li, and the visionary cinematography of Chris Doyle, Hero exudes a unique sense of majesty from the very beginning.
Jet Li's nameless warrior travels to the court of a powerful Warlord claiming to have slain his most deadly enemies - the assassins Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky. Relating his story to the King, the supposed events and relationships surrounding each assassin's downfall are told and the re-told from different viewpoints and understandings thus allowing the spectacular battles to be re-fought and fresh information to be gleaned from each new account.
These astonishing battles form the major part of the film. Each confrontation is a heart-stopping set piece with its own signature to mirror the emotions of the characters involved. In particular an autumnal sword fight between the two female leads in which golden leaves and red material swirl and spiral along with the duelling warriors has to be seen to be believed. In fact, every aspect of the film from costume to composition is so considered that every scene is as vibrant, colourful and remarkable as the last. This sublime attention to detail has deservedly earned Hero its reputation as one of the most beautiful films ever made.
The comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are inevitable but the moral at the heart of Hero is a surprisingly poignant one, especially in today's political climate, and is what sets it apart from Ang Lee's fable. In the end the images and discussions that you take away from Hero make it a memorable and enriching experience.

 

Steve Turner on 10th January 2005
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