Nominated for an Oscar, Jet Li stars in director Zhang Yimou’s (Raise The Red Lantern, Not One Less) first foray into the swordplay genre, and it’s one of the most beautiful and offbeat yet…
Such a luscious production was always going to garner comparisons to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but the director of Raise The Red Lantern, The Road Home and Not One Less first wuxia/swordplay movie is far from Ang Lee’s beautiful but old fashioned vision. Nor is it simply an attempt to update the genre using state of the art computer graphics like those in The Matrix. Zhang Yimou, together with cinematographer Christopher Doyle – most recently acclaimed for his work on Rabbit Proof Fence – has weaved a breath taking tapestry. A deeply personal vision more concerned with creating a surreal and gentle world than state of the art action.
Set against the real history of the King of Qin – who ruthlessly united the seven kingdoms of China and became its first Emperor, leaving the Great Wall and the Terracota Warriors behind as mementos – Hero tells of a warrior known only as Nameless, played by Jet Li, who claims to have rid the King of his most dangerous opponents, three assassins called Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow. Granted an audience with the King (Chen Daoming), Nameless recounts how he defeated them. Challenging Sky whilst a blind lute player performs, most of the battle is fought in their minds, such are their abilities. Till Nameless finds a weakness and beats him with sheer speed.
Finding the lovers Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) at a calligraphy school Nameless pretends to be interested in seeing the word ‘sword’ written in a way it never has been before. Meanwhile he and Flying Snow protect the school from an aerial attack from the Kings own archers, as thousands upon thousands of arrows rain down. With knowledge of Flying Snow’s past affair with Sky, nameless takes advantage of the rift news of his death brings between Snow and Sword to defeat them.
As his tale draws to a close the King reveals his doubts, telling his own quite different version of the events using his memory of Broken Sword and Flying Snow from their attempt on his life. But what is the truth…?
If the story sounds familiar it should, Yimou’s former assistant director and rival, Chen Kaige (Farewell, My Concubine) previously filmed the material as the epic The Emperor and the Assassin in 1999. Reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Zhang Yimou tale eschews Kaige’s more grounded take of power corrupting the best of intentions, instead leaving reality far behind. There’s an inventive use of colour to signify each version, permeating not just the characters clothes, but also their surroundings. Red for the passionate version, blue for the romantic, green for memory and white for truth.
Cinematographer Christopher Doyle – whose previous work includes Chungking Express, Ashes Of Time and In The Mood For Love with Wong Kar-wai, Temptress Moon with Chen Kaige, and Rabbit Proof Fence and The Quiet American with Phillip Noyce – beautifully photographs some of China’s (and Mongolia’s) most outstanding scenery, seamless mixing computer generated images. The result is stunning. A dual in a swirling mass of golden leaves filmed in a forest in Inner Mongolia, red clad warriors leaping far above the trees. The leaves turn to red as it ends fatally. Another dual, filmed in the National Reserve in Jiuzhaigou, China, has its combatants high above a lake, barely skimming the water with their blades to propel them upwards. Each scene is considered and wonderfully composed.
Such feats are greatly aided by the presence of longtime action choreographer and director in his own right, Ching Siu-tung (A Chinese Ghost Story, Heroic Trio, Duel to the Death). His creative flair better suited to making the inconceivable happen. On their previous collaboration some 13 years earlier Siu-tung directed Yimou. Appropriately enough it was on another fantasy film that used the Qin Dynasty as a background called A Terracotta Warrior. There’s also support from another Hong Kong action stalwart Tung Wai, choreographing the martial arts. The soundtrack comes from Tan Dun, best remembered for his work on Crouching Tiger, this time featuring solos by European violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Proclaimed to be a HK$240 million epic, it is in the true sense of the word with scenes of thousands of extras (whether computer generated or not) filling the screen. Keep in mind, though, that equates to 24 million pounds – hardly enough to tie the shoelaces of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Sometimes the film feels a little hollow. Strong performances from the cast make up for its simplicity, despite having relatively little to work with. This was not a comment that could have been directed at Kaige’s version of the tale. Of the cast only Zhang Ziyi falls foul (once again) of a decent role. One can only imagine she was repaying Yimou for her breakthrough lead in The Road Home.
Strangely for such a political director, Hero ultimately takes on an almost nationalistic tone. The hero of the title deciding that the King should live so his dream of ‘all under heaven’ – a united and powerful China, be fulfilled. In modern China, still so aware of it’s ethnic diversity, and with Communism crumbling, or at least what stood for it, the message seems a little lost. Or maybe that’s the point?
Rumours abound of a longer version by some 15 minutes that was to be Yimou’s original cut – though, since the film doesn’t feel edited (unlike, say, Gangs of New York), it’s difficult to see just what could be extended.
Hero deserved the Oscar nomination for best foreign film, though most of Zhang Yimou’s previous films are even more worthy. Like every one of his movies, uncontent to replay what has gone before it takes the genre further. A brilliant, very beautiful, if not quite perfect film that warrants as wide an audience as Crouching Tiger got…. whenever it finally gets released in the west.
DVD details
Distributor: Edko Films (Hong Kong), Weikai/Face (China)
Chinese and Hong Kong DVDs of this movie have a perfect transfer of the film. The Chinese releases are region free but include only the featurette.
Highly recommend comes the Region 3 encoded two-disc Hong Kong edition. The second disc is packed with featurettes, seminars, storyboards, drafts for costumes and weapons, and behind the scenes footage. Though some of it, sadly, is in Mandarin without English subtitles it still offers a fascinating insight to the making of the film.
Note, the titles on the Hong Kong version, including the text on the introduction and conclusion come with an English translation. The Chinese release is simply in Chinese.
