Welcome to the 3rd Century BC. As you step into the picture, the land which is now known as China is still divided into various countries. Each one has its own little culture and practices, but they all share rulers who spend most of their free time plotting and warring against each other. However, this would all come to an end when one country--Qin--stands up among the rest to be the most powerful and resourceful. Neighboring countries fall down one by one as the Qin King goes on a tyrannous conquering spree, but a few of them still stood against his rule. Thus we have the country of Zhao, which knew the Qin King had to be stopped from becoming the Qin Emperor, or else they would all be destroyed.

And thus, the assassins.

Hero director Zhang Yimou’s first Wu Xia Pien (Chinese martial arts/swordplay movie), chronicles one of the many attempts made upon the then-tentative first Emperor of China. The plot concerns the warrior Nameless (Jet Li), who has come to the Qin King (Chen Daoming) to report on his defeating the three main adversaries of his Highness. The three adversaries--Zhao citizens--namely Sky (Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), have been involved in the most dangerous assassination attempts made on the king. As a reward, the king invites Nameless to join him for a wine--drinking session, and asks him to relate his story on defeating the trio.

Told in a Rashoman--style narrative, each different version of the story is done in specific hues of color to symbolize the emotional themes--Red (Passion), Blue (Love), White (Action), Green (Simplicity). The final story of the whole film, and the only one that does not repeat the variation theme, is done in Black (Death). The flirtation with visual aesthetics done by Zhang and cinematographer Christopher Doyle is impressive, sometimes overdone, but usually poetic. Clouds rush over the mountains and lakes of Ziouzaigou, and soldiers circling in a duel to the death in the desert are some of the few beautiful aspects of the movie.

However, being such a colorful film, Hero is unexpectedly colorless. The film lacks a lot of what is present in Zhang’s best works--human relationship. Although the plot is one that is repeated many a time in Chinese martial art movies (with an easily-predicted ending for those who know a bit about Chinese history), the choice Zhang made to convey the story is one of overcomplicated matters marred by shallow characterization. Although in each version of the story the three main characters--Nameless, Broken Sword, and Flying Snow--have differing personalities to match the emotional theme, they remain two-dimensional without enough depth to allow audiences to empathize. This is especially true of Zhang ZiYi’s character, Moon, who seems to be only there to either act as a sword bearer, a spurned new love, or someone to fight an evidently much stronger foe. Although the story is that of ancient history seen through the sensibility of a modern skeptic (that great things require great sacrifice), the script that accompanies this story is inferior to the idea. A particular point, towards the end, where the Qin King proclaims his “understanding” is not only unnecessary but jarring to the ear. At times some may wonder whether George Lucas had a hand in writing the screenplay.

However strange it might be, ZiYi may be the one who gives the best performance in the film, despite her relatively useless role. Another good performance is given by Chen Daoming as a king who believes in his ideals, no matter how many lives must be lost in the process. Tony Leung is miscast as the pensive Broken Sword, and Maggie Cheung seems to be weeping all the time throughout the show. Jet Li, as usual in almost all his films, is near expressionless throughout.

The action sequences, choreographed by Ching Siu-Tang, may lack the grandeur of those found in Crouching Tiger, but they have their own signature to it. Certain fights are done well enough to be memorable: Snow against Moon (Red), Nameless against Snow (Blue), and Nameless against Moon (White). A particular sequence that might get into film history is in the Red version. While Zhao is under attack by the Qin army (which releases swarms of arrows from a distance, at an impressive scale almost rivaling the Helm Deep battle when Saruman’s troops arrive), Snow and Nameless defend a calligraphy school by respectively using her overflowing dress and a single stray arrow. At the same time, Broken Sword--inside the school itself--draws the Chinese character for “Sword”.

It is worth noting that the special effects used for Hero are great, especially during the fight scenes over the lake of ZiouZaiGou. One particular scene that sticks into memory is when the Qin King offers Nameless his sword, in his very own special way. Yet, despite some truly beautiful parts, several scenes are so overdone it defeats the purpose of a good martial arts fight scene--that of true fighting, not of overblown computer skills. The first fight between Nameless and Sky would have worked well if not for a near Matrix-effect for the final blow; similarly, a fight scene between Nameless and Broken Sword (Blue) using a little drop of CG water reminded almost the whole audience of, to put it bluntly, ping-pong.

Zhang Yimou’s strength is in the portraying of people in his films, where every single person has a powerful story to tell, and their motivations which drive them to the events of the movie. This is especially true in his masterpieces such as Raise the Red Lantern and The Road Home. Unlike these previous efforts, Hero comes as soul-less and too dependable on art and style direction, and computer effects. It is a visually stunning film worth checking out, but it lacks the true driving force a good story requires.

Rating: 3 Faeries
Director: Zhang Yi Mou
Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung, Jet Li, Zhang Zi-Yi, Chen Dao Ming, Donnie Yen
Official Website: www.herothemovie.com