Hero
Country: China
Genre: Martial Arts
Release Year: 2002
Type: Movie
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Hero Review
Hero throws in a handful of talented Chinese actors, including Jet Li in the lead role, Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow, Donnie Yen as Sky, Tony Leung as Broken Sword, and Zhang Ziyi as Broken Sword's assistant. The story is mainly told through flashbacks that recall different versions of the attempted assassination of the King of Qin.
Hero is a stereotypical Chinese Martial Arts film in the vein of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, however, Hero is somewhat unusual in that it tells the story through flashbacks. In this way, several versions of the same story are unfolded, and it is up to the viewer to decide which one is actually real. Hero also gives light to the Chinese Qin emperor, which many have characterized as one of the most diabolical emperors in Chinese history.
The entire cast is well known for their martial arts ability, and the movie displayed each character's style with good detail. However, the movie lacks personality, as the only character who really showed any emotion was Tony Leung and perhaps Zhang Ziyi. Maggie Cheung doesn't really shine in her role as Flying Snow, and frankly, this girl is getting a bit too old to be a sex symbol. While Jet Li is the main protagonist, his role throughout the movie is somewhat small. The main plot doesn't really revolve around Jet Li's character, but leans toward Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Also, there are no clear-cut antagonists or protagonists, and confusion is the main feeling through the first chunk of the film.
Visually, this movie was stunning. Scenes were filmed with an exquisite color balance and action was top-notch. Jet Li is a great fighter, and the other cast members, Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, etc, have great natural martial arts skill. While special effects were quite common, they were more realistic than most movies of this genre. There are also some very memorable one-on-one fight scenes, such as the one between Jet Li and Donnie Yen.
The movie is mediocre at best, however, the ending just didn't appeal to me. Hero is neither dramatic enough nor insightful enough to keep most people interested, and the ending tries to be dramatic, yet fails miserably. The movie might be a worthy view for hardcore martial arts fans, but to the casual Asian viewer, this movie is just a clich? of many other martial arts films on the market.
Written by Lance
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Jet Li as Nameless