英雄

Hero (2002)

Hero (Ying Xiong) is a blockbuster Chinese film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi, about a trio of assassins who attempt to kill the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi. While quickly becoming China's highest grossing feature film ever, the movie's release has been repeatedly pushed back in the US.

Like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero makes extensive use of piano wire supported high flying martial arts stunts and the two movies have eerily similar scores by the same composer, Tan Dun, but the film is perhaps most remarkable for its stunning use of color and its fantastical sets and settings. Hero starts off with great promise, quickly drawing the audience into a heroic quest of epic proportions, awing them with beautiful women, lavish scenery, and stunning effects, and keeping them on their toes with an innovative narrative style reminiscent of Rashomon.

Sadly, however, the movie comes crashing down to earth with a hideously jingoistic ending redolent of Chinese propaganda. In the climactic final scenes, the film informs us that it is better for one nation to conquer all of China, and even the entire world, because under one ruler the world would be at peace, whereas if there are many nations and peoples there is always the potential for war. Qin Shihuangdi, who in real life was a brutal and ruthless tyrant, is passed off as a truly benevolent and enlightened being who only conquers his enemies for the greater good of mankind.

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with current events can see the relevance of this "message" to China's current politics. In the film's final scenes (which I suppose many Chinese found deeply moving) the characters we have rooted for the whole way suddenly turn into cardboard cutouts - mere mouthpieces for late 20th century Chinese ideology - rather than the human beings they had at first appeared to be. How disappointing. It is no wonder Miramax has balked at releasing this ridiculous farce of propaganda passed off as art to US audiences.


Credits:

Director: Zhang Yimou
Screenplay: Li Feng, Wang Bin, and Zhang Yimou
Original Score: Tan Dun
Cinematography: Christopher Doyle

Cast:

Jet Li - Nameless
Tony Leung Chiu Wai - Broken Sword
Maggie Cheung - Flying Snow
Zhang Ziyi - Moon
Daoming Chen - King of Qin
Donnie Yen - Long Sky