Hero (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Hero' (directed by the great Zhang Yimou) is one of the most beautiful & lyrical films I've ever seen. I just wish there was a bit more intellectual depth & character development to match the grandeur of the visuals. The story takes place in feudal China, where the King of Qin (Chen Daoming) is waging a bloody campaign to conquer the entire country (taking down 7 kingdoms, one by one). But he is haunted by the threat of assassination by 3 dangerous individuals. Good fortune befalls the king when a Nameless warrior (Jet Li) is brought before him for accomplishing a very specific & heroic feat. Namely, the Nameless warrior has killed the very 3 assassins who've sought the king's life: the spear-wielding Long Sky (Donnie Yen), & 2 lovers: Broken Sword (Tony Leung) & Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung). She wished the swiftest retribution of all as her family was brutally killed under Qin's rule.
"Nameless" is then asked, by the king, to recount the tale of how he killed each of the 3 enemies (beating Long Sky in a duel; using the love btwn. Broken Sword & Flying Snow to pit them against each other). But after hearing Nameless' story, the king notices some flaws in the telling of it. Nervous that this Nameless warrior may have a trick up his sleeve (to assassinate him himself), the king offers his own interpretation of what may have happened. And we, the viewer, get to see a guess-which-story-is-true account from each & every character involved.
I would be shocked if another film came out this yr. to rival the style, splendor & spectacle of 'Hero'. And in fact, it's the style, splendor & spectacle which drives the movie forward; where narrative, dialogue & character interaction takes a slight backseat. Technically, the film thrives in almost every aspect. The film moves along at a languid pace, but never does it feel too long. There are martial-arts sequences galore; offering great action (where characters do surreal things that defy gravity) & beautiful integration of visual effects to aid the fighting. 3 scenes stick out: 1) a slow-motion sword fight in the rain (watching the swords pierce the rain drops is amazing). 2) An aerial fight btwn. Flying Snow & a character named Moon (Zhang Ziyi) amid a sea of maize-colored leaves. And 3) a fight btwn. 2 characters on a placid lake; where they're literally skimming along the surface.
The beauty in every shot of Christopher Doyle's cinematography is incredible. And the use of the color is particularly rapturous, here. In fact, the color composition is like a character in & of itself. There are 4 distinct color schemes to discuss, with each color representing an emotion and the tone of the flashback: Red = the passion & rage of a love triangle. Blue = King Qin's interpretation of Nameless' story. White = how the story really went down. And Green = the depiction of Broken Sword's attempt at Qin's life some 3 yrs. prior. In each of these segments, the costumes, sets & landscapes take on the hue of the dominant color -- breathtaking. I also liked the use of wind in this film to signify change; constantly blowing, weaving in & out of the character's clothes & hair. I also praise the sound editing (swordplay, arrows, wind). And Oscar-winner Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) composes an appropriately epic musical score.
'Hero' does a decent job of showing why men & women self-sacrifice to serve a greater good; and partake in war to secure peace. 'Hero' uses historical fact as a foundation. But most of what occurs in this plot plays on a national myth; and quite inventively, I must say. I dug the performances; particularly from Tony Leung & Maggie Cheung as tragic lovers -- any emotional power that's conveyed onscreen comes from them. 'Hero' is all about movement, sound, images, colors & mood. Together, they assemble a 'story'. That's because the 'story' is not this film's strong suit; lacking in profundity & dimension. There's a lack of depth & that applies to the characterizations, as well. 'Hero' did not bore me because each scene satiated me with something that was visually dazzling. But its ponderous nature & lack of intimacy within the story weighed on me, a bit. Overall, though it was difficult at times, I enjoyed this highly-stylized meditation of heroism.
"Nameless" is then asked, by the king, to recount the tale of how he killed each of the 3 enemies (beating Long Sky in a duel; using the love btwn. Broken Sword & Flying Snow to pit them against each other). But after hearing Nameless' story, the king notices some flaws in the telling of it. Nervous that this Nameless warrior may have a trick up his sleeve (to assassinate him himself), the king offers his own interpretation of what may have happened. And we, the viewer, get to see a guess-which-story-is-true account from each & every character involved.
I would be shocked if another film came out this yr. to rival the style, splendor & spectacle of 'Hero'. And in fact, it's the style, splendor & spectacle which drives the movie forward; where narrative, dialogue & character interaction takes a slight backseat. Technically, the film thrives in almost every aspect. The film moves along at a languid pace, but never does it feel too long. There are martial-arts sequences galore; offering great action (where characters do surreal things that defy gravity) & beautiful integration of visual effects to aid the fighting. 3 scenes stick out: 1) a slow-motion sword fight in the rain (watching the swords pierce the rain drops is amazing). 2) An aerial fight btwn. Flying Snow & a character named Moon (Zhang Ziyi) amid a sea of maize-colored leaves. And 3) a fight btwn. 2 characters on a placid lake; where they're literally skimming along the surface.
The beauty in every shot of Christopher Doyle's cinematography is incredible. And the use of the color is particularly rapturous, here. In fact, the color composition is like a character in & of itself. There are 4 distinct color schemes to discuss, with each color representing an emotion and the tone of the flashback: Red = the passion & rage of a love triangle. Blue = King Qin's interpretation of Nameless' story. White = how the story really went down. And Green = the depiction of Broken Sword's attempt at Qin's life some 3 yrs. prior. In each of these segments, the costumes, sets & landscapes take on the hue of the dominant color -- breathtaking. I also liked the use of wind in this film to signify change; constantly blowing, weaving in & out of the character's clothes & hair. I also praise the sound editing (swordplay, arrows, wind). And Oscar-winner Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) composes an appropriately epic musical score.
'Hero' does a decent job of showing why men & women self-sacrifice to serve a greater good; and partake in war to secure peace. 'Hero' uses historical fact as a foundation. But most of what occurs in this plot plays on a national myth; and quite inventively, I must say. I dug the performances; particularly from Tony Leung & Maggie Cheung as tragic lovers -- any emotional power that's conveyed onscreen comes from them. 'Hero' is all about movement, sound, images, colors & mood. Together, they assemble a 'story'. That's because the 'story' is not this film's strong suit; lacking in profundity & dimension. There's a lack of depth & that applies to the characterizations, as well. 'Hero' did not bore me because each scene satiated me with something that was visually dazzling. But its ponderous nature & lack of intimacy within the story weighed on me, a bit. Overall, though it was difficult at times, I enjoyed this highly-stylized meditation of heroism.