Hero
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
Oct. 3, 2003

"How far would you go to become a hero?"

That’s the tagline for director Yimou Zhang’s epic, "Hero." The story takes place in ancient China where the king of Qin (Daoming Chen) is constantly under the threat of assassination by warring factions. When a minor official (Jet Li) defeats three of Qin’s enemies, he is summoned to the palace to tell his story.

On first glance, "Hero" appears to be a big scale knock off of Ang Lee’s "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." It even stars one of the cast members from "CTHD" (Zhang Ziyi). What sets these two movies apart is the story. CTHD was strictly a movie about good versus evil. When you watch "Hero," you realize that there's no definite line.

Zhang Ziyi (top) faces off against Jet Li

The story is shown from all points of view. As a viewer, you become drawn into each individual's story. You may hate one of the characters at a point in the movie, but then their story opens up and you feel sympathetic toward them. It shows that people are not simply good or bad, but rather a mixture of both.

Visually, this is one of the most stunning movies I have seen ever. Although nowhere nearly as good as "The Matrix," the CGI used in "Hero" is a vast improvement over other Hong Kong movies such as "Shaolin Soccer" or "The Legend of Zu." The vivid colors used in the movie captivated the eye. There was a wide variety of contrast, going from red to blue to white to green. Each color represents something, but I can't say what it is. You'll have to watch it to find out.

The acting was well done. Jet Li proves that he still commands the camera in Hong Kong. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung do a great job playing off each other. They exude a natural chemistry with one another. Zhang Ziyi and Donnie Yen both do good jobs, but their appearances were too few. The fight scenes were phenomenal. From the first one where Li squares off against Yen, you eyes are glued to the screen watching their incredible movements.

Good story, good acting, and a whole of action mixed with beautiful visuals. This is definitely one of the best movies I have seen all year.

Joe gives "Hero":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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