Article
Views & r(E)views
By Mike & Paula Parker
"Hero"
Miramax Films
The Chinese martial arts extravaganza, "Hero," is getting near unanimous critical acclaim. Any time that many critics like a film it usually means I'm going to hate it. But I do have a job to do, so here goes.
"Hero" is set in ancient China, prior to its unification in 221 B.C. War rages among the seven provinces. One man, the tyrannical King of Qin attempts to unite the provinces and so becomes the target of assassins. He is saved from three of the most notorious of these assassins by a nameless swordsman played by action star Jet Li.
As a reward, the nameless one receives an audience with the king, where he tells the story of how he defeated the three masterful outlaws. But then this straightforward story is turned on its head as the King questions the truth of Li’s story. Soon we’re seeing several different version of the same event, each in a different and distinct color scheme and each casting a different view on not only who the hero is, but what it is that makes him hero to begin with. By the story's end, Jet Li is faced with a choice. In making his choice he must define for himself what a hero really is and in doing so choose the future course of an entire civilization.
There is no doubt that "Hero" is a visually dazzling film. Color, color everywhere - each scene painstakingly rendered in glorious, symbolic color. Beyond the incredible cinematography, "Hero" raises serious moral and political questions. Is it right to kill one man, or a hundred, in order to save thousands? Should a leader use brutal force to unify a country? How far should one go to achieve a political goal? Is the true hero the one who puts down his sword?
"Hero" is a mythological birth of a nation tale for the Chinese Empire that plays both as tragic and thought provoking. Whether or not it’s actually an extended advertisement for the virtues of communism is open to interpretation, but you have to at least question the motives of a film that extols the sacrificing of independence and free expression to an all powerful central government for the good of the whole.
Fans of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" will
dig it. I didn't hate it. I didn't get it - but I didn't hate it.
Family Factor:
"Hero" is rated PG-13 for Martial Arts violence and a scene of sensuality. It is presented in Chinese with English sub-titles, and the story gets pretty convoluted, so younger teens will probably get bored with it early on.
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