Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars a couple of years ago, the long awaited Hero finally gets a release and is guaranteed to provoke comparisons with the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Visually, it may equal Ang Lee's masterpiece, but Hero doesn't wield the same emotional resonance.
Set in the third century B.C., the plot follows a meeting between the Qin emperor (Chen Dao Ming) and a nameless assassin (Jet Li). The emperor is desperate to unite the warring states of his lands and he listens as Nameless tells him, with the aid of colour-coded flashback sequences, how he killed great enemies of Qin, including Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) and Sky (Donnie Yen). Impressive as Nameless' tales are, the emperor begins to have his doubts as to their veracity.
First, the good news: Hero is one of the most strikingly produced movies of the year. Stunningly rendered, Hero is choreographed with a breathtaking precision, while the cinematography by Christopher Doyle is marvellous; a scrap amongst autumnal leaves is particularly memorable. Where Hero falters, however, is with the lack of emotional connection between audience and the characters. The clinical distance and vaguely suspect moral message maintained by director Zhang Yimou means that we can marvel at the sheer beauty of Hero, without ever falling hopelessly in love with it. This doesn't spoil the enjoyment, but it does negate the lasting impact.
