Thanks to Quentin Tarantino's interest in backing overlooked foreign films, moviegoers were recently graced with another film that follows the stunning visual tradition of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Director Zhang Yimou's epic film Hero was released in China and other nations in 2002 but made its stateside debut only this month. The long delay is certainly worth the wait.
Hero astounds the viewer with breathtaking beauty and a plot filled with emotion and nuance. Though the movie will inevitably be compared to Crouching Tiger because of its blockbuster success in the US, it is a completely different kind of film, and should be treated as such. Zhang Yimou uses a visual style that is similar to director Ang Lee, but Yimou handles the delicate story of Hero in a very different manner and presents it in a new and original way.
Hero is a story about a nameless assassin (Jet Li of Lethal Weapon 4 and Romeo Must Die) who is on a mission from the powerful ruler of the Qin kingdom. The emperor is attempting to unite all of China under one rule and to do so, he must eliminate some very powerful enemies. Standing in the emperor's way are three extraordinary warriors named Sky (Donnie Yen of Iron Monkey), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Broken Sword (Tony Leung).
The logical course of events would have Jet Li taking out the enemies of Qin one at time and finally returning to the province as a hero. However, Zhang Yimou chooses a far more interesting path. As the film opens Li arrives at the palace of the Qin emperor with the weapons of all three warriors and tells the tale of how he defeated them. The real joy of the film lies in the fact that the story of Li's nameless assassin character may not be true.
As the movie continues the audience is shown alternate possibilities of how the events in the film occurred from different perspectives and with each new retelling of Jet Li's journey, we get closer to the truth. Is Li a patriot, a fool, or yet another assassin using a made up story of heroism to get close enough to the emperor to assassinate the ruler himself?
These questions are what really make Hero interesting. By examining alternate versions of the intense drama in the film we get to see characters interact in very different ways. One perspective of the story can show a character exhibiting virtue and self-sacrifice while another version portrays the character as vicious and jealous. By opening up multiple paths for the plotline to follow Yimou allows the actors in the film to really play with their characters. This is especially evident in the roles of Flying Snow and Broken Sword, who are lovers in the film. By examining this relationship in different contexts, the viewer is able to see the different ways in which the romance between these two characters can affect the course of the story. We get to see them unite, break apart, and change the very way they look at one another. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung put a lot of work into their characters' relationship and make their romance one of the film's best points. Zhang Ziyi (Rush Hour 2, Crouching Tiger) also does good work as Broken Sword's apprentice. Her presence adds new dimensions to certain versions of the love affair between Broken Sword and Flying Snow.
Yimou does a good job matching the visual style of the film to the story. By using different colors schemes for different perspectives of the tale, Yimou reveals emotions present within the characters. One telling of the story will have the main characters in red tunics, while another version of the tale shows the warriors in white. The film's epic scenery also matches the grandiosity of the plot. The film is filled with lush greenery, beautiful ancient Chinese architecture, sprawling deserts, and laboriously costumed armies that fill the horizon. Certain scenes will undoubtedly make the jaws of the audience collectively drop. When Jet Li and Maggie Cheung deflect a barrage of hundreds of arrows, it is hard not to stare in wonder. Hero is certainly not a film that lacks visual flair.
One of the movie's weaknesses is its fight sequences. Though the images are stunning, the battles often border on the ludicrous, and occupy too much time. People who are not fans of the kind of smooth, artistic, and physically impossible battles that are exhibited in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may be disappointed.
The repetition of the story from different perspectives can also become boring since the audience often has to watch the same character being killed over and over again. The film also has messages telling us information we don't need to know. Instead of overtly saying what it means to be a hero, Yimou should just show the viewer truly heroic actions.
Not everyone will agree that Hero is a good movie, but the intricate visual style, changing plotlines, excellent cast and emotional melodrama make it a film that deserves to be seen and enjoyed.
