Hero (film)
- For other meanings of the word, see Hero (disambiguation)
Hero (英雄 Pinyin: Yīngxióng) is a film first released in China on October 24, 2002. It was both the most expensive and the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese cinema history. It hit US theaters on August 27, 2004 despite the fact that the Asian DVD had already been available for over a year. It became the top-grossing film in the first week of its US debut, at US$18M, and continued to lead the US box office in its second week at US$11.5M. It fell to the 4th place in its third week at US$4.4M.
Hero is a movie of the Wuxia genre, directed by Zhang Yimou. It stars Jet Li as the nameless hero. A team of assassins are played by Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow), Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Broken Sword), Donnie Yen (Long Sky), and Zhang Ziyi (Moon). Chen Daoming plays their intended target, the King of Qin.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The movie is set during the Warring States Period. It tells the story of assassination attempts on the king of Qin by legendary warriors who seek revenge for his subjugation of their home province. The king justifies his actions in the cause of unifying China and its written language. In the text at the end of the film, the king is identified as Ying Zheng, who became Qin Shi Huangdi (lived 259–210 BC, who reigned 246–210 BC). In 221 BC he did indeed unite China under his command and became its first Emperor.
The film was Zhang's first attempt at this genre, and it uses a highly unusual structure. Conflicting versions of the events are recounted by different characters, in a structure reminiscent of Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). Each section uses a different color scheme, depending on the narrator; Zhang's movies often feature rigorous colour schemes.
The film has a tragic structure; its six main characters come to realize that China's unity depends on their own decisions and actions. This feeling of patriotic responsibility conflicts with their own personal desires for revenge, and with their relationships to each other. Ultimately, the film's conclusion is that of a classic tragedy.
Although inspired in part by the success of movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the film failed to be as successful as its makers hoped, in part due to criticism overseas at a perceived pro-totalitarian subtext. For example, many state that the ulterior meaning of the film is the triumph of security and stability over liberty and human rights. This rather one-sided analysis calls to mind Zhang Yimou's
See also: Cinema of China
