Summary:

Set in "Pre-China" more than 2000 years ago; a China that existed as seven "warring" states, the film commences with a brief narrative that tells of the many wars and extreme bloodshed that has bathed the borders of the Chinese states. But one man, Qin, dares to dream to unite the states under one banner. This is the fictitious narrative of his journey to do so, and the three warriors who stand in his way.

As Nameless (Jet Li) rides in a coach en route to see the King Qin (Daoming Chen) of the Chinese state Qin he tells of his troubled past: orphaned as a child, Nameless dedicated himself to the art of the sword and has allegedly just killed off Qin's three primary assassins, Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung); three ruthless terrorists threatening to end Qin's imperialistic reign via his assassination for more than 3 years. As Nameless enters Qin's hall he is invited into telling his story of battle victories over his greatest most deadly enemies.

So begins Nameless' tale of how he defeated the three warriors. Working at the Lan Meng, it was by chance that Nameless came across Sky one day at work. A lover of chess, it seems Sky was a frequent visitor and on the "fifth day of the six month" Sky appeared at Lan Meng to once again play. But here the 7 elite guards of the Qin court appeared to arrest him. As such, Sky quickly defeats all of them, leaving the Nameless to undertake him single-handedly. All the while there is the ironic, almost "western" hymn being plucked by a sage, as Nameless gives a quick diatribe on the harmonies between music and combat, with an artistic black-and-white dream vision interrupting the past narrative to unveil both Sky and Nameless' meditative preparations for battle.

Upon the commencement of Nameless' victorious narrative over Sky the film pans to his next tale of victory: the defeat of the terrifying union of Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Disguised as a Zhao citizen, Nameless rode out to a small calligraphy school where the two assassins were rumored to be hiding. After the approach of the Qin army, all deserted the encampment, save for the students and the master. Allegedly Broken Sword's martial arts skills are rooted in his "calligraphy" and so, Nameless studied Broken Sword "the calligrapher" first. Under the pretense of acquiring one of his scrolls, Nameless watched Broken Sword at work; on the scroll, and on Qin's approaching army. A fantastic battle scene of symmetry, stark color contrast, and amazing choreographed fight sequences reveals the visual astonishment of portraying Eastern civilization's disciplined war tactics in paramount technological splendor. So too is the Zhao culture's concept of discipline disarmingly powerful and moving. While arrows "storm" their buildings, the Zhao remained still, disciplined, making timeless the art of their words revered over the mortality of their life. Still, with the intervention of Mistress Snow and Nameless together the two undermine the 3,000 force Qin army with their amazing defense tactics, dropping the thousands of arrows that fly towards their refuge.

Nameless then tells of his exposing Flying Snow's infidelity to Broken Sword; the latter's anger causing him to seek vengeance via a quick liaison with his loyal apprentice, Moon (Ziyi Zhang); which Snow avenges by taking Flying Sword's life. Of course Nameless tells of how Moon needed to avenge her master's life by challenging Snow, but after her tragic death the emotionally rattled Snow falls easily at the hands of Nameless in front of Qin's army. Or so Nameless' narrative goes.

It seems however, that Nameless may have underestimated Qin and the emperor immediately calls out the possibility of Nameless' lie. Knowing full well that Broken Sword and Snow were among the most respectable and disciplined warriors Qin doesn't buy for a minute that the two were slain out of their own emotional weaknesses. As Qin attempts to recapitulate what he believes to be the true scenario surrounding Nameless' affiliation of his purported enemies, the dialectic of honor, swordplay, and art continues with the narrative focus shifting to what Qin believes to be the true narrative.

Qin postulates that the truly honorable "assassins" Broken Sword and Snow, enemies of King Qin the "imperialist", willingly gave their lives to aid Nameless' quest towards gaining admittance into Qin's throne so as to assassinate him once and for all. Still one thing remains uncertain in Qin's narrative... Nameless' motive?

Under the pretense of a loyal servant of Qin, his masterful plan seems in the end to tell of the exact opposite; he is in fact, Qin's most lethal enemy. Still, there is/are yet history(ies) to tell. While the focus shifts to the true narratives of Nameless' history and that of Broken Sword and Flying Snow it seems that in all three there is a little bit of a hero who, despite their altering paths, fights for a cause they deem honorable, with Qin as the target of the enemy. Still, when notions of greater good, such as the unity of China as "Our Land" and no longer as "warring states" enters the picture, a moral conflict and warrior ideal may threaten the initial prospects and fates of Qin's purported assassins.

"Hero" is simply astonishing. The film moves in ways uncanny and unlike other cinematic and Hollywood masterpieces. From the poetic imagery of the visual; color, contrast, artistry, etc., Zhang alters the perspective of the film from action to aesthetics and it appears to be a very successful move. As one critic notes, "It's the little things, really - finding strong visual interest in a falling raindrop and a slight breeze? That's genius. That's true talent. And it goes without saying that the bigger visual aspects are well-chosen too; the scenery is stunning, the costumes scarcely less so..." Truly with Zhang you have an artistic ingenue who produces nothing short of spectacular masterpieces, "Hero" being another film evident to the case.

Still, despite the heightened use of aesthetics in "Hero" the visual imagery never seems contrived or in the realm of artifice. There is an amazing "organicity" and "naturalness" to the film that aids the unveiling of the beauty of the culture's regimented albeit highly 'emotionally invested' people. Even the underpinning morals of the film such as the returning to a state of simplicity (as observed in the monologue on the parallel between calligraphy and swordplay) and ideals of peace seem to uphold this organic, primitive utopian ideal of civilization. With Zhang behind the camera lens this vision comes to life in "Hero" as arguably the most compelling argument for such socio-historical commentary.

As the special features "Hero" featurette notes, "color played a dominant role - the stylized look set the stage for the story's emotion and mood". Likewise, not only is the visual cinematography and art direction astounding in the film, but so too is "Hero's" score and soundtrack flawlessly dynamic and compelling: "music gave the film its voice and soul". "Dun Tan chose to shape the music with two distinct voices - the passion of violin virtuoso Istzac Perlman and the energy of renowned Japanese drummers, Kodo". With a superb score of alternating harmonies and discordance, passionate percussion and melancholic adagio-like violin solos, Dun's intent to "hear the color" of his music in deed manifests itself in the score and adds imperative depth "Hero".

"Determined and flexible" are the two main words that define Zhang Yimou's directive style. As such, it proved a necessary and paramount balance of characteristic in shaping the film; rendering truly unique action sequences while still bringing forth emotive and "poetic" vision. As one critic notes: "In many ways, the action scenes aren't action scenes - they're anti-action scenes, with the water-surface fight in particular; creating more of an impression of grace and beauty than excitement". Likewise there is an undeniable artistry in the palatable multi-sensory fight scene between Snow and Moon that is writhing with poetic justice and emotive discourse; as demonstrated in the choreography of swordplay.

Hats off to the actors, particularly the non-martial-arts-trained actors such as Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, and Tony Leung Chui Wai who flawlessly integrate their efforts, acting skills, and physicality into a brilliant portrayal as 'masters of the art of combat'. Likewise actors such as Jet Li and Donnie Yen astound with their graceful, almost poetic combative sequences. Still, more than just physical expressiveness and action-sequences, all of the characters did a remarkable job of displaying the contrast between a disciplined warrior and an emotionally fragile human being. This was such an enjoyable film in large part because so many personal elements were not only integrated, but emphasized in both the plot line and the dramatic performances by the actors who took on their character roles.

Still, for some the film remains problematic, specifically the tone of the film: "The problem with Hero is that it's so bloody serious, and like so many films which refuse to even countenance the idea of laughter, it becomes frequently unintentionally funny." All the same, one could argue that the overdramatic tone is fundamental in elaborating the paramount socio-political conflicts present in the context of "Hero". This was a time of crises, where patriotic lines were blurred by bloodshed. Perhaps it is not too farfetched to imagine a disciplined culture reacting in such a serious and dramatic fashion when one tries to put themselves in their shoes. Still, the problem for many Western critics may arise in the fact that our culture is simply so far removed from Eastern philosophies and culture, especially ancient Eastern philosophy and cultural norms, that we may still have a hard time connecting, or "buying" the presentation of the stoic heroic so to speak.

Arguably, critics commentary on the final scene's depiction of a unified Qin court's requesting Nameless' execution as bordering on cheesy is more than valid. One couldn't' help but observe the contrivance and, as much as it was employed for the aesthetic, still, it possibly doesn't work here; it is in such discordance with the single-voice narratives that dominate the film as to stand out in stark, almost grotesque contrast to the novelty of the theme of the "individual". Though the film's perspective has shifted from one man's journey to the "greater good of all" by the end; this scene being a lens through which to depict such a vision, still, it is a bit too contrived and too near parody for comfort.

As such, it is arguably evident that on a visual level the battle scenes are the most "fantastic" of the film, but not necessarily the most compelling. The film's more subtle depictions of poetic grace and imagery are abounding and should not be left unaccounted. Still, the individual action and battle scenes are magnificent and make "Matrix" look like a playground for rookie directors, and that, as we all know, is saying something. One critic pays homage to both the artistry of the battles and the cultural scenes: "Yimou can certainly mount a battle scene - his device of allowing a distant cloud to coalesce into a swarm of arrows is stunning. [Likewise] the scene with the calligraphers should be shown in every English class in the world as a heartbreaking tribute to the power of human intelligence and the written word".

"Hero" received a nomination for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2003 and the Golden Globe nomination for the same category. "Hero" was also the winner of more than 21 critical film association awards and received another 19 nominations.

Main Characters:

Jet Li plays Nameless, the anonymous hero assassin with a mission to end Qin's tyrannical rule.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai plays Broken Sword, the idyllic warrior.

Maggie Cheung plays Flying Snow, Broken Sword's lover and fellow warrior-assassin.

Ziyi Zhang plays Moon, Broken Sword's apprentice.

Donnie Yen plays Sky, Qin's notorious enemy.

Daoming Cheung plays King of Qin, the precarious leader of the Chinese state Qin.

Notable Lines:

Qin: "Imagine, 19 ways to write a character. How can people communicate when they do not understand each other/"

Qin: "The candle flames in front of me can sense your murderous intent"

Broken Sword: "One person's pain is nothing compared to the suffering of all"

Qin: "Let the good of our country, guide your decision!"