Hero (2002)
Hero (2002) 9/10
It is no exxageration to say that Hero is quite possibly the most beautiful movie ever filmed. Lensed by Christopher Doyle, directed by Zhang Yimou and featuring an all star cast, Hero is a captivating film where style overshadows substance. And i mean it in a good way.
Hero is simply gorgeous. Color-coded scenes, mesmerizing mise en scenes and some truly ravishing imagery. It also features one of the best actions sequences in a long time, including a memorable joust between Donnie Yen and Jet Li.
Structually, the Rashamon narrative is beautifully composed, and it even comes with a compelling political message. Whether or not you agree with the implicit message (I don’t), you are perhaps left to ponder what exactly is the meaning of Hero. Is the Greater Good truly worth the sacrifice of people? Is there even a greater good or merely some nefarious concept? It has a controversial underlying message that provokes you to ponder, though such a message is not readily apparent at the outset.
Actingwise, Donnie Yen and Jet Li give great physical action sequences, although their acting is merely passable. But when you have Chen Daoming, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Zhang Ziyi shoring up the acting lineup, how can you possibly fail? Even Zhang, who seems to have the most superfluous role, dazzles in every scene she is in.
The only little points i can nitpick is perhaps the artificality of some sequences, like the battle in the mind rubbish, or how the CGI created arrows are unrealistic. Or how the plot is fairly distant, in that at the end of it there does not really seem to have been a substantial plot.
But all there are minor quibbles to what is really one of the most visually sumptuous and mesmerizing film to come out from Asia.
