A HERO IS BORN
"I said I was wearing this dress!"
Zhang Yimou has never been on to court mainstream Chinese cinema. Several of his films, including "Raise The Red Lantern" have been banned in his homeland despite being critican and commercial successes elsewhere in the world. But the times, they are a-changin', as Yimou gets behind the camera in this dizzying and masterful martial-arts film, simply titled "Hero"
The plot is very simple, yet at times hard to follow. A nameless assassin (Jet Li, "Romeo Must Die") is invited to a dinner opposite of the King as a thankyou for single-handedly killing the 3 warriors set out to kill him. The warriors are played in flashback by Tony Leung ("Internal Affairs", Maggie Cheung ("In The Mood For Love") and Ziyi Zhang ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). The King is extremely interested in how our Nameless character achieved such a task, resulting in his own suspicions. Did he really kill the warriors? If he didn't, why is he lying? The film is a mixture of "Rashomon"-like storytelling even bettered by it's wonderfully choreographed action sequences. This film will be compared to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and rightfully so. It successfully mixes drama, action and ancient Chinese mythology.
Also, each film is so carefully constructed, the beauty of some of these scenes is breathtaking. The film is as mastery of cinematography, production design and costuming. The Qin Dynasty is wondrously realised and rightfully won those catagories at the Hong Kong Film Awards (along with many others).
The film also uses sound to magnificent effect. Tan Dun's score is haunting and thrilling, while the expert sound design is so precise you can hear a leaf fall to the ground. Each move of an actor's hand, each sway of a falling sword or the flight of an arrow are given extreme detail.
And then there are the action scenes. Each of Nameless' flashbacks involves spectacular special
Contrary to popular belief, Kevin Costner doesn't cameo as a bodyguard, depite needing the money
effects and choreography (by award winner Siu-Tung Ching). The makers have created some of the most beautiful action scenes ever committed to celluloid. There are too many to mention in precise detail but two in particular deserve some ink. The battle between Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang in the Golden Forest is blinding in its striking use of colour. Painfully realised, every single autumn-coloured leaf is given minute detail. You notice every subtle touch, including everything from the change of direction the falling leaves take when a sword cuts through, it's a testement to Maggie and Ziyi that you still notice them.
The second is the showdown flashback between the breakin by to of the warrior's into the King's palace. A thrilling cat-and-mouse sword fight takes place between the flowing curtains of the building and the ever-increasing threat outside.
I have deliberately not talked much about the characters of Nameless, the King and the warriors. I will leave it up to you to discover their secrets.
It's a shame Mirimax have yet to distribute this film (It premiered in China in 2002 and has since been released on Region 3 DVD) as it has a great chance of becoming the breakout foreign film that comes around every year. It definitely has crossover appeal to non-Art house sectors due to its action scenes and the assistance of Quentin Tarantino who has lent his name to the publicity trail.
If it ever does get released in your neck of the woods, seek it out. It'll be worth the wait and you wont regret it!

A, Great storytelling and beautiful action scenes. A definite recommendation
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