Hero Reviews and Ratings



  • November 26, 2009
    good action, very visual, good cast but dullness followed this film from start to end.
  • November 12, 2009
    Best Directing 2004 - Best Cinematography 2004 - Best costume design 2004
  • November 7, 2009
    me enamoré de esa china...
  • November 3, 2009
    SUPER. 5 Estrellas bien ganadas!
    Esto es ARTE y no fregaderas.
  • October 27, 2009
    visually stunning, however the twist is explained in the plot synopsis.
  • October 27, 2009
    A heartbreaking action masterpiece. Jet Li's performance is mindblowing.
  • October 25, 2009
    amazing cinematography and story.
  • October 15, 2009
    After two years of hearing about the myth of the most expensive Chinese film ever made, Hero has finally floated on to British cinema screens. As it flies, it trails a coloured cloth that carries the film's numerous morals and messages which descend upon you like a soft layer of ...( read more)fabric. This is a film that can lift your spirits and have you laughing out in sheer joy as you gaze in wonder at the perfection of the mise-en-scene and cinematography. That is, if you let the film take you on a journey, without pondering the films questionable plot points.

    Hero is two sides of a tale as presented by Nameless (Jet Li), a mere Prefect who defeated three deadly assassins, and the King of Qin (Daoming Chen), the man the assassins wished to kill. Nameless weaves his heroic though modest story of how he killed the assassins, but the King remains unconvinced, spinning his own version of how he believed events unfolded.

    Director Yimou Zhang takes us through Nameless' story first, spreading the battle sequences thick, allowing them to take their own time. In the King's version, certain battles are then revised, which is remarkably brave considering that some battles are utter fabrications. In one such fictitious fight, in a faultlessly designed set, Nameless and Sky (Donnie Yen) close their eyes and fight out the battle within their minds. Screen time is being spent lavishly on showing how two characters contemplated a fight, whilst fighting each other in a battle that never occurred. It is confusing certainly, but perhaps Zhang wished for his audience to get lost in the plot's design so that they would not question the warrantability of half of the battle sequences, which make up most of the film.

    Yet, it is difficult to ponder these details when they are made so utterly insignificant when viewing such a spectacle. The sheer beauty of the battles, the gentle floating of the assassins as they fly around their arenas (which range from a forest full of orange leafed trees, crisp leaves falling down to the ground like rain, to the crystal clear and calm of a mountain lake), the costumes of characters at varying stages in the story line (red for passion, green for youth, white for truth, blue for love), the amazing army scenes which feature thousands of arrows being fired into the sky to create a black cloud that descends right on top of the camera, all these elements combine to produce a faultlessly perfect image on the screen, each frame a worthy photograph that gently reminds you why cinema is the greatest art form of the twentieth century.

    And characterisation is not lost in this beauty as one may have feared. Despite the irritating two dimensional performance of Zhang Ziyi as Moon, the other actors carry off fine performances, especially Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Broken Sword and Daoming Chen as the King. Their performances are especially credible as they are often drowning in the memories of the King and Nameless - they need to change slight mannerisms in order to reflect whose mind they are now in.

    The script too is of an impressively high standard. The moments of clarity that the warriors feel are experienced by the audience also, and there are some very informed outlooks of the emptiness of warfare, communicating that to achieve peace, sometimes war is the only option. These messages of course seem fitting in our current times, underlining how ancient some of the methods of our governing body truly are.

    Hero is undoubtedly a most beautiful and awe inspiring film. What it lacks in plot substance, it makes up for with structure and script. It elaborates on the ground work created by 'Crouching Tiger' and is an experience that I would encourage you to seek out, as long as you are willing to submit to the film and let it guide you through its world on its own terms.
  • October 14, 2009
    On par with House of Flying Daggers, though a step below Crouching Tiger. Still an epic martial arts movie that's enjoyable, smart, fun to watch and kick-ass!
  • October 14, 2009
    Even if martial arts aren't your thing, this is a stunningly beautiful movie. Art and elegance in every frame.
  • October 10, 2009
    Maggie Cheung has sooo much charisma as well, and Jet Li is also brilliant in this movie again. Top cast and top acting, plus a top director! And great setting!
  • October 9, 2009
    Hero (jetli). brilliantly confusing, as you wouldn't know at first what really happens. But with those every story tell is simply a wonder full of actions. Jetli never let me down.^^,
  • October 5, 2009
    Special Effects are abounding, perhaps a bit too much. But there is a good moral to the story in my opinion.
  • September 30, 2009
    A stunningly shot movie, probably Jet Li's best ever...
  • September 28, 2009
    LAS COREOGRAFIAS DE JET LI NO TIENEN ABUELA
  • September 23, 2009
    Fight scenes are stunning and visually looks great. I will say that this isn't one of Zhang Yimou's best, but it's still got that beatiful look that we get in all of his films. Donnie Yen and Jet Li were great in this movie, and the fight scene that they are in truly is sensational.
  • September 22, 2009
    Yimou Zhang's best work of art. Stylish, mesmerizing and very emotional. The music and the choreographed sequences are very well made and planned. Colorful and very beautiful. Combine Wo Hu Cang Long with Rashômon and you get this, wuxia style.

    92/100
  • September 18, 2009
    This is probably my favourite martial arts film of this kind, it's better than Hidden Dragon and Flying Daggers in my opinion!
  • September 11, 2009
    nearly as good as house of flying daggers.
  • September 10, 2009
    Have not like Tarantio's work since Pulp Fiction, this was fantastic!
  • September 6, 2009
    Pretty good, but all that flying is annoying.
  • September 5, 2009
    Ten thousand arrows rain on you !
  • August 28, 2009
    This film is especially revealing and complete.
  • August 27, 2009
    Gambarnya bagus banget lho!!
  • August 26, 2009
    A series of Rashomon-like flashback accounts shape the story of how one man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.
  • August 21, 2009
    Gorgeous to look at and some awesome action sequences.
  • August 21, 2009
    Forget 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', this is the movie that should've been championed to the Western culture. With a formidable cast of Asian cinematic icons and absorbing cinematography, Ying Xiong unfolds more like poetry than theatre.
  • August 11, 2009
    Nice sets and pretty characters.
  • July 25, 2009
    Filme de Yimou Zhang baseado em lendas chinesas sobre Qen, que viria a ser o primeiro Imperador da China unificada. Não julguem mal "Hero" por ter Jet Li como parte do cast, na verdade se trata de um filme asiático muito bonito, com uma linda fotografia, e um roteiro bem interess...( read more)ante. Não é meu filme preferido do Zhang ("O Clã das Adagas Voadoras" e "Lanternas Vermelhas" pra mim são lindos), mas chega perto.
  • July 24, 2009
    This was really really good...crazy cinema.
  • July 22, 2009
    Truly a great movie. This is one you must really get into to nderstand it.
  • July 22, 2009
    really nice colour segment
  • July 20, 2009
    I came back to review this movie, it's stunning visual movie, I have watch this again recently and enjoyed it more then when I originally saw it. Excellent camera work and action.
  • July 20, 2009
    Pretty. I secretly wished Sammo Hung was the evil emperor and the last battle would involve him smoting Li with a large melon or something.
  • July 20, 2009
    grt movie..watch it 2ce coz its grt movie..to watch
  • July 17, 2009
    Una cinta que sin duda muestra una realidad que luce tan ilusoria casi como un sueño desencantado y sin mucho color al contrario de la ficcion que nunca se vio tan viva tan inolvidable y hermosa, un juego de imagenes de ensueño y palabras que cuentan una leyenda: La leyenda del h...( read more)eroe sin nombre mas reconicido de china.
  • July 13, 2009
    Yup one of my fav Kung Fu movies
  • July 12, 2009
    I can understand why people would like this movie but for me I found it not especially suited for my tastes. I dont like highly staged fighting, involving wires and flying through the air etc. And considering 99% of the fighting (and therefore 90% of the movie) was that style of ...( read more)fighting, I didnt really enjoy it. Very minimal diaglog, story was confusing for me, and I didnt get very into it. Not my kind of flick.
  • July 8, 2009
    Jet Li ass kicking as only he knows how. The sheer scale of the project is breathtaking.
  • July 4, 2009
    a perfect example of a movie that was cool to watch but afterward completely escaped my memory.
  • June 30, 2009
    Another outstanding Epic Martial Arts movie with stunning visuals.
  • June 29, 2009
    Very seldom will a film move me to tears. The music is haunting.
  • June 29, 2009
    I'm not sure if I've seen this movie, so I'm gonna....
  • June 26, 2009
    LOTS OF BLOOD AND GOR
  • June 24, 2009
    Beautiful movie, Kung Fu as art and it works perfectly in Hero, not only that its one of Jet Li's finest movies.
  • June 23, 2009
    A great Jet Lee film
  • June 23, 2009
    Beautiful to watch but expected more

Summary


Hero Summary