Hero (2002)
Stars
Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Ziyi Zhang, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen
Director
Yimou Zhang
Set in ancient China, before the first emperor, the seven states / kingdoms are at war, and plotting to assassinate the most powerful of their rulers, a man known as Qin. When a unknown man defeats 3 of Qin's most fearsome enemies, he is summoned to Qin's palace to tell the tale of his victories.
Martial Arts Styles Used
Kung Fu
Weapons Used
Straight Sword, Chinese Spear, Chinese Curved Knife / Dagger
With star performances from an all-star cast, Hero is rightly acclaimed as one of the most beautifully shot martial arts movies of all times.
The fight scenes in breathtaking scenery, using the same physics-defying combat sequences as "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", do not disappoint. The action throughout the film is perfectly done, with the perfect balance between martial arts skill and superhero-like powers.
Jet Li is a little subdued in this film outside of the action sequences, although he fails to disappoint when the fighting starts. The outstanding performances go to Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, with their scenes eclipsing all others in the film.
Our only real criticism of the film has to be the pace of the film outside of the action. The scenes between our nameless hero and the King are not as good as they should be, and really do not live up to the rest of the film. They are of course the narrative of the film, adding storyline to the fight sequences, but you can't help but feel that there could be more to them.
This slow pace outside of the action is the only reason why we have not given Hero 5 out of 5. If Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Fearless can add so much richness to their action scenes with a good story to go with them, then it's a shame that Hero can't as well.
Author: The Bear Martial Arts Team
