The Hero
While writing my review on Zatoichi-The blind swordsman, Manoj asked me if I’d seen The Hero. This was one film, I’d been waiting to watch for a long time, so I watched the DVD recently. Now this film has nothing to do with Bollywood or Hollywood films with similar names. Its a Chinese Martial arts film which takes place around 200 BC, and leads to the history behind the events leading to the unifying of China and the Great Wall of China.
The director Zhang Yimou is highly acclaimed for films like Red Sorghum and The Road Home and like Ang Lee who made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon this is his first feature into a film of this magnitude. This film released recently in America, has the benefit of using Quentin Tarantino to present the film and the box office credibility of the leading actors Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi.
However the deep layers in the film, make it stand apart and asks the question who is really a Hero?
Website
https://imdb.com/title/tt0299977/
The Plot
The King of the Qin Kingdom, the largest in China, has been at war against the 6 remaining kingdoms for many years. He has been the target of numerous assassination attempts and thus maintains a distance of 200 paces from any stranger. The protagonist, Nameless played by Jet Li, approaches the King seeking reward.
The King had been the target of 2 assassins, Sky, Snow and Broken Sword. Nameless professes himself as the quickest swordsman in the land and has successfully defeated and killed the 3 assassins. However the King is more insightful than Nameless believes, and he refuses to accept Nameless’ version. So Nameless and the King discuss multiple versions of the same story.
My Take
Attempting to portray the tale of the founding of China’s first Dynasty, Zhang, depends more on brilliant visuals, excellently choreographed fights and the ability of his cast to infuse life into his characters.
Sky played excellently by veteran Donnie Yen takes on Nameless in the first battle in the rain, with an old man playing music in the background. With the slow strains of the chords and the fast and furious swordplay between the two in the slow drizzling rain and water dripping is phenomenal.
Nameless then goes to the province of Zhao, where Snow and Broken Sword are teaching students in a local calligraphy school. Zhao is located in western China, closer to the deserts and the visuals have a dusty look. With the school being under attack of the Qin soldiers, Nameless and Sky defend the school from the arrows shot by the Qin soldiers which fly like locusts on a field of wheat.
There are many such scenes where the spectacular visuals set in that period, be it the scene on the gloomy lake where Broken Arrow and Nameless fight or the scene in the forest with the falling leaves, where the angry Moon(Zhang Ziyi) takes on the serene Snow.
But the ultimate coup is the casting. Broken Sword played by Tony Leung, is the ultimate self-realized warrior, with supreme confidence and the secret knowledge of his fight with the king. Maggie Cheung as the volatile Snow is excellent, driven by rage to seek revenge on the Qin King, she portrays a multitude of emotions with such poise and beauty.
Jet Li as the main protagonist, Nameless has a far smaller role to play emotionally. Being a 5 time Chinese national Martial arts champion, he excels in the Action sequences Matrix-style and the fast paced sword fights. He feeds off the emotions of the King, Broken Sword and Snow, in their confrontations. However in the climax he shows the true meaning of the warrior.
Cast
Jet Li (Nameless)
Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Broken Sword)
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (Snow)
Zhang Ziyi (Moon)
Chen Dao Ming (The King of Qin)
and Donnie Yen (Sky).
Final Words
While taking on a subject of this magnitude, credit must be given to the Director, Zhang Yimou, for keeping in control the plot without going overboard on action, special effects and visuals, without much gore. Two thumbs up.