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Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
While Zhang Yimou stuns audiences with this martial arts adventure where cinematography takes to the foreground, the message conveyed to some through the story has managed to spark debate over Yimou’s political implications of the film. But with the themes of love and war at centre stage in China, no less – what else can be expected?
Set in 3rd century BC China, the King of Qin (Daoming Chen) is on a mission to bring all the surrounding warring dominions in to one ‘united’ kingdom. Naturally, war is met along the way, sparking three illustrious assassins to seek personal revenge on the king, and end all the seemingly irrational destruction he is causing around the lands. For security, no-one is allowed within a hundred paces of the king unless proving their faith to him somehow. Enter Nameless (Jet Li), a warrior brandishing the three swords of the assassins (thus proving their defeat by his hand) who is allowed within ten paces.
Four different versions of the story ensue, each truer than the last, of how the assassins meet their demise. Essentially in all versions, there is first a battle between Nameless and Sky (Donnie Yen) in a chess house, where Sky meets his downfall. Then, there is a battle between Nameless and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), where she also loses out to Nameless’ unmatched skill. The third assassin, Broken Sword (Tony Leung), is also Flying Snow’s lover, and complications between the two allow for Nameless to obtain the last sword. However, there is a twist in the story, as it slowly becomes revealed that Nameless is not actually who he says he is, and now that he is within ten paces of the king, knowledge and righteousness put him to the test to discover if he really can be a true warrior…
Perhaps Yimou’s previous experience as a cinematographer influences the weight given to the film’s abounding aesthetic. However, credit must be given to this film’s cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, as the film is so amazingly visually rich. The individual versions of the story are told with different colour schemes; saturated primary colours, which provide evocative contrasts to otherwise beautiful but barren landscapes.
Tan Dun’s score provides a constant melancholy theme throughout, which is soft and dramatic, and nearly always present. This gives credence to the film’s existence as a piece of art as much as an entertaining film. Of course, drums are at hand for the fight scenes and moments of tension, which add authenticity to the Chinese culture of the film.
The storytelling should not be overlooked either. Its Rashomon-style flashbacks add layers of depth - four to be precise - to energise the story. They allow for not only four different stories to be told, but four different versions of assassin characters to be explored. In this way, Yimou gets to play with the audience by keeping it guessing until the very end.
It is difficult when watching and listening to a language so completely different from English to be able to fully appreciate what is being said, and how it is being expressed. From every other aspect that the renowned cast can be scrutinised from, none of them disappoint. They adhere to the choreography of the duel scenes with such natural ability, and although the expression of emotion is not at the forefront of the film, each carries a great weight of believability in their (many) roles.
We are not met with copious amounts of dialogue, and combat scenes fit to take your breath away seem to occupy more time in the film than any speaking. The general lack of conversation aligns with the elemental approach of the film, and so this is not a problem, however, the same ‘lost in translation’ issue can be said of the script. A western audience cannot be sure to receive the same message as what is understood by a Chinese speaking audience.
Following in the same vein, the most important feature in the film, Broken Sword’s depiction of the word ‘Tianxia’, accurately translates as ‘all under heaven’ (i.e. the world), whereas the western translation is ‘our land’, as in China. Both notions imply distinct differences, and hit on a critical debate over the film and Yimou’s intentions. Critics of Yimou have said the film’s approval by the Chinese government admit it to be a film of pro-totalitarian rule, of which Yimou has denied. Nevertheless the film certainly makes an impact politically, emotionally and visually.
Only those opposed to the wuxia genre may want to give it a wide birth, as there are a lot of combat episodes, however, those able to appreciate the elegance behind finely choreographed martial fighting, clever storytelling, and visual mastery will not want to miss it. MI
Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
Zhang Yimous’ sumptuous historical warrior epic certainly lives up to, if not surpasses, the two years of excited hype that this is the most expensive Chinese film ever made. Falling firmly within the wuxia genre, this breathtaking (although sometimes mind boggling) piece of cinematography softly coaxes you through a dramatic journey of loyalty, love and sacrifice that deals with both personal and political issues without feeling as though you are having to wade through a torrent of boringly obvious morals and ethics.
The determined dream of King Qin (Daoming Chen) to become the first emperor of China draws the attention of three deadly assassins from neighbouring warring kingdoms. It seems as though there is nobody who can defeat the killers until an enigmatic nameless warrior, surprisingly called Nameless (Jet Li), appears to seek a private audience with the naturally wary king.
Nameless claims to have battled and beaten all three of the king’s enemies - Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Long Sky (Donnie Yen) - and modestly explains the details of the slayings. Even with the dead assassins’ weapons as proof of their demise at his feet, the king is unconvinced and proceeds to put forward a completely different version of how he thinks events played out.
Two powerful men with two opposing powerful stories, but which is the right one?
The actors carry off a solid set of performances, creating powerful, complex characters. Particularly of note is Jet Li’s portrayal of Nameless, our perfectly inscrutable hero warrior, who manages to subtly layer his character, leaving the audience questioning whether his motives are entirely honourable and honest. Maggie Cheung’s never faltering grace and beauty also shines through by combing a lethal combination of femme fatale with the ability to slay opponents with the ease of a warm knife through butter.
The director stretches the delicious battle scenes so that they make up a huge portion of the film, and revised in different ways according to who is telling the tale. Time is taken to create a tantalising flow of impressive frames that only serves to whet the appetite for the next. The direction is wonderfully unique, a prime example being when Nameless and Long Sky are engaged in battle purely in their minds. It is undoubtedly amazing visual art, but the audience would be forgiven for thinking they were being deliberately swept away by the set design to detract from the sometimes dubious plot points.
But, to be honest, it’s hard to care or be bothered to rack our brains over such mere doubts when there is so much more to be inspired by. Christopher Doyle is in charge of photography and has managed to create a masterpiece. Whether it’s the goose pimple inducing battle sequences, the majestic serenity of the floating assassins, or the fantastically vibrant use of nature and landscape that takes your breath away, it’s the perfection of imagery that makes Hero a must to watch.
Although the backdrop is arguably one of the most beautiful in cinematography, the halting nature of the narrative doesn’t give the characters enough opportunity to open up and develop to their fullest potential. Confusing changes in the storytelling and the battle scenes means the audience spends more time trying to figure this out and has less time concentrating on the characters. Subsequently, the film lacks the emotional appeal that made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon such a winner.
Still, Zhang Yimou certainly has succeeded in making a special martial arts spectacle, although to merely class Hero as a martial arts film doesn’t give justice to the sublime richness of the movie. Although the warriors float around the screen as if part of a tightly woven, intricate dance, the audience knows that the possibility of blood, pain and death is ever present - a poetic brutality if you will - but these moments are kept comfortably waiting in the wings whilst the senses are overwhelmed by the genius of the picture.
All in all, this beautifully beguiling story is a timeless action movie, a heavyweight title clincher that will enjoy both commercial success as well as satisfying lovers of foreign films. At times lacking in plot substance and slightly confusing which, possibly, has been anticipated by the director, prompting the use of colour coding to indicate through which eyes the story is being told and also the individual stages in the story. However, this is a mere spot of rust in an otherwise impeccable suit of armour. Hero is an awe inspiring experience that should be sought by all movie lovers.
Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
Finally, two years after its creation, and as a result of severe petitioning to Miramax Studios from Quentin Tarantino, Zhang Yimou’s Hero obtained its western cinematic and unedited DVD release. Following in the mould of its spiritual predecessor Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero is a succession of sweeping landscapes, vivid colours and high wire action that sees Jet Li return to his native China to assume the lead role.
Summoned by the King, an orphaned warrior, Nameless, is hurriedly ushered through the gates of the palace so as to confirm a miraculous achievement. Presenting the Prime Minister with three boxes, each containing the weapons of three powerful assassins killed by Nameless, he is permitted into the throne room to drink tea with the King.
The King is a single-minded militant who wages war on the other regions in China, yet his philosophy is to do so not for personal gain but to make the nation strong, unifying them under a single leadership and language. Eager to learn how this mysterious warrior, who held a position of nothing more than a mere local Prefect in his Kingdom of Qin, defeated these assassins, the King invites Nameless to recount his feats. Nameless states he does not possess the abilities to have defeated them collectively yet reveals by separating and confronting each assailant individually he knew he would be victorious.
While it is widely known Broken Sword and Flying Snow are lovers, Nameless reveals that the couple had not spoken to each other in three years because of an illicit encounter Snow had had with the third assassin, Sky. Shown through flashback, Nameless, having infiltrated a calligraphy school in Zhao, reveals to the remaining martial arts masters the remains of Sky’s spear, claiming that Snow's compassion would lead her to avenge his death. This revelation leads to a startling and spiraling sequence of events where Broken Sword, distraught by the actions of his paramour, engages in sexual gratification with his student Moon to earn Snow’s resentment. Snow in a fit of indignation and rage retaliates by killing her former lover. Nameless, in the hall of the King, states this emotional unsettling as a result of the cunning plan he had instigated made the disposal of Snow in combat a formality.
After pondering this lavish tale, the King of Qin announces he has been deceived by the orphaned swordsman, and professes his own entirely new account of what transpired…
With directorial projects that have earned him Golden Bear’s and the elusive Grand Jury Prize, it is unsurprising that Hero exudes the confidence of a director who is comfortable in his craft. Hero is a visual feast as Zhang sculpts beautiful, if not iconic, imagery from the shifting landscapes of Chinese deserts through to the poetic motions of his actors’ choreography. It is impossible not to underestimate the painstaking effort that went into making sure the director achieved perfection in every single scene, as not one inch of the screen is wasted or not deliberately thought out. For the fight scene in the forest, between Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang, Yimou Zhang had a man spend days there purely to inform him of when the leaves began turning yellow so that the director could achieve his vision of the juxtaposed yellow and red colours. Not simply this, but the lake scene involving both Cheung and Tony Leung could only be filmed for two hours a day because this was the only time the waters in the lake would be still enough to create the mirrored effect desired.
Yimou Zhang’s dedication to faultlessness in his artistry is the primary reason Hero is undeniably hypnotic in the sheer scale of its visual palette, but he accompanies this with an interweaving sequence of stories. When Jet Li’s Nameless delineates the fits of jealousy his craftiness sent Broken Sword and Snow into, the film and the characters are awash in red. From wearing red robes through to the red calligraphy house, there is a striking statement being made. It is only, however, when the King begins his hypothesis that the colours start to resonate as being more than just bright garlands when the same characters and school are depicted in a calming blue.
Zhang’s colour coding typifies the emotional thought processes of the characters, where red symbolises passion and rage; blue is representative of sacrifice; green is the exemplification of mercy; while white, as the closing of the thematic colours, can be interpreted as truth, birth or death. While the director has been quoted as claiming the colours bear no direct correlation to any one theme, this must be taken with a pinch of salt for Zhang is undoubtedly aware of the symbolism he himself must attribute to each shade - his declination of a definitive response has created much discussed ambiguity and subsequent publicity.
At its heart, despite the kaleidoscopic opticals, Hero is a martial arts film. Thankfully the high-wire choreography does not overly bend the rules of physics so as to feel nonsensical, but does so just enough to gift his characters an ethereal and benevolently enlightened feel. Despite Jet Li and Donnie Yen being the only schooled martial artists in the primary cast, the remaining protagonists all undertook weeks of training, and the result is there as evidence to the hard work they put in. Not one scene is compromised as a result of an individual’s inability - all the actors are beautifully convincing as they glide through air, bounce off lakes and pull off remarkable feats of dance-like combat.
There are criticisms that Hero, for all its breathtaking visuals, harbours an overriding doctrine of unification, and a philosophy that supports an individual's desire to bring peace to the masses through blood thirsty conflict and totalitarian rule. There are certain parallels that can be made to modern day China leading to a school of thought that Hero is pro-communist propaganda. However, as with the meaning of colours, Yimou Zhang’s true reasoning is open to interpretation by all, and while from a certain standpoint it is difficult to ignore these observations, it is also difficult to ignore the seemingly obvious that his story is based on history, and that certain events cannot be changed. Eastern cinema has a great penchant for the philosophical, endowing the perceived antagonists with moral codes, blurring the lines between 'good' and 'bad'. Yet the reasoning in this instance may be as simple as the director choosing to implement his poetic license, but then in Hero, nothing is ever quite as it first seems to be.
While some may have an unwillingness to swallow the simple premise as a means for justifying ninety minutes worth of sword-clanging, finding it a tedious exercise in high-wire showboating, it is impossible to deny the sheer beauty which resonates throughout this sumptuously narcotic feast.
Whether it be through majestic landscapes, the vibrancy and range of striking colours on show, or the graceful movements of some of China’s finest stars, Yimou Zhang champions a case for style when done with substance. BL
