Hero (2002 film)

Hero
File:Heroposter.jpg Promotional film poster
Directed by	Zhang Yimou
Written by	Feng Li Bin Wang Zhang Yimou
Produced by	Zhang Yimou
Starring	Jet Li Tony Leung Chiu Wai Maggie Cheung Zhang Ziyi Chen Daoming Donnie Yen
Distributed by	Miramax Films (U.S./UK)
Release dates	October 19 2002 October 19 2002 January 24 2003 January 24 2003 August 16 2003 August 27 2004 September 24 2004
Running time	99 min.
Language	Mandarin
Budget	$30,000,000 US (est.)

Hero (Chinese: 英雄; pinyin: Yīng Xióng) is a Chinese wuxia film, directed by Zhang Yimou with music by Tan Dun. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the movie is loosely based on the legendary Jing Ke.

A group of assassins: Flying Snow (飛雪) (Maggie Cheung), Broken Sword (殘劍) (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), and Long Sky (長空) (Donnie Yen), have sworn to kill the King of Qin (秦王) (Chen Daoming), and Nameless (無名) (Jet Li) comes to the royal capital to claim the reward offered for their defeat. The movie tells the story of his conversation with the King of Qin, and the flashbacks depicted the journey he took to earn the honor of sitting before the emperor. Zhang Ziyi stars as Broken Sword's servant Moon (如月).

Hero was first released in China on October 24 2002; it was both the most expensive and the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese cinema history. Miramax owned the American-market distribution rights, but delayed the release of the film for nearly two years. It was finally presented by Quentin Tarantino to American theaters in August 27, 2004.

Plot

File:Jetli.jpg

Jet Li as Nameless

In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor, warriors from the six warring kingdoms plot to assassinate the ruler of Qin, the most powerful faction. When a minor official, an orphan who was not even named, defeats these assassins, he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory.

This nameless man (Li) tells the King of Qin how he defeated Sky, Flying Snow and Broken Sword, who ten years ago swore a pact to kill the King. His Majesty has lived in such fear of them that he has not taken off his battle armor for the entire time, nor had a restful night's sleep, nor had an attendant within 100 paces of him (until now). Thus, when presented with the weapons of his dreaded foes, he is understandably pleased—but just as understandably skeptical. The nameless hero explains (through narrated flashbacks) that Snow and Sword, though famed for their love of each other, had experienced only one moment of infidelity over the years, when Snow spent the night with Sky. Knowing this, Nameless defeated Sky through force of arms (the much-anticipated on-screen rematch of renowned martial artists Jet Li and Donnie Yen), and then reported to Snow and Sword, as Sky claimed that one of them would avenge him. Broken Sword, hoping to inspire jealousy in Snow, takes his beautiful young servant Moon into his bed, but in response, Snow kills him; she is also forced to kill Moon when Moon attempts to avenge her master. Finally, she confronts Nameless, but is unable to focus and is quickly dispatched.

The King of Qin is impressed, but quickly unravels the story. Three years ago, Flying Snow and Broken Sword stormed the palace to kill him, but was spared his life as Broken Sword believed that killing the King was not necessary, after being calmed by years of calligraphy, and the King gathered that they were honorable, sensible warriors—not the sulking, insecure adolescents Nameless describes. Nameless' story, he pronounces, is entirely a lie. He then re-spins the tale (again with narrated flashbacks), declaring that Sky fell to the nameless one's sword voluntarily, because Nameless is also an assassin, and Sky recognized that his sacrifice would get him within 20 paces of the king. Likewise, Nameless asked either Snow or Sword to place their lives in his hands, which Snow did. (Ironically, the King's depiction of their parting is a tender and moving scene, with each willing to die so that the other might live.) From this sacrifice, the King surmises that Nameless must have a secret and deadly technique that is accurate only within ten paces. After Snow was slain, Broken Sword gave up his life and his weapon to be with her, bringing Nameless here to the throne.

The nameless assassin confirms all that has been said: he has an instant technique that is deadly within ten paces. His sword can also pass harmlessly through the target's body, avoiding vital organs while inflicting what appears to be a fatal blow. It is to this strike that Sky willingly fell (he is still alive and, at last reports, steadily recovering), and to this blow that Nameless asks either Snow or Sword to yield to. Snow consents, but Sword disagrees: the King of Qin must not be allowed to die. He describes (in a flashback within a flashback) the attack on the palace three years ago: they penetrated the castle and Sword confronted the King, but held back from killing him. Sword had come to a revelation, which he communicates in three words: "All under heaven" ("Our land" in the English language version), which the King of Qin can bring peace and stability to if he is allowed to proceed in his bloody conquest to unite the six kingdoms. In this case, the suffering of the few will bring prosperity to many, and Broken Sword begs Nameless to spare the King. The King himself is struck by these words, pleased and honored that his worst enemy is a man as noble as Broken Sword, and that he understands the King's true intentions. He gives Nameless his own sword, ready to meet his fate with dignity.

Nameless ultimately chooses not to kill the King. When news reaches Flying Snow, she is enraged and attacks Broken Sword, declaring him a traitor. To prove his intentions, he allows her to slay him; distraught (and never quite understanding his choice), she impales herself on the same blade. Nameless, meanwhile, is allowed to leave the King's court, but is executed at the palace gates (with the King's dismayed approval) for attempted assassination, setting an example for the world. Nameless is then buried as a hero for his sacrifice.

In the closing text, it is revealed that the King of Qin did in fact manage to unite the Middle Kingdom under one rule; he became Qin Shi Huang, China's first Emperor, responsible for (among other things) unifying the Chinese language, weights, and measures, and completing the Great Wall of China.

Political meaning

Although inspired in part by the success of films 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 and pro-Chinese reunification subtext. Critics also cited as evidence the approval given to the film by the government of the People's Republic of China. These critics argue that the ulterior meaning of the film is the triumph of security and stability over liberty and human rights and that the concept of all under heaven (translated in the English-subtitled release as "Our Land") is used to justify the incorporation of areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang within the People's Republic of China and promote the reunification of Taiwan with China.

Additionally, the future first Emperor of China is portrayed in a very sympathetic light while for centuries Qin Shi Huang has been looked upon with scorn as a brutal tyrant by Confucian scholars. A more standard and much less sympathetic portrait of Qin Shi Huang is found in the 1999 film The Emperor and the Assassin. While it is true that his rule is often brutal, Qin Shi Huang's reign is now looked upon more objectively by some modern scholars for some effective measures such as unifying the systems for language, weights and measures, currency, and for the construction of a national transport network. In any case, the revisonist portrayal in the film reflects the controversy associated with the historical figure.

The film's director, Zhang Yimou, purportedly withdrew from the 1999 Cannes Film Festival to protest similar criticism [1], though some believe that Zhang had other reasons. However, defenders of Zhang Yimou and his film argue that the Chinese government's approval of Hero is no different from the U.S. military providing support to films such as Top Gun and Black Hawk Down, in which filmmakers portray U.S. armed forces in a positive light. This is slightly different, however, as the American government does not censor filmmakers. Others reject entirely that Zhang Yimou had any political motives in making the film. Zhang Yimou himself maintained he has no political intentions whatsoever. [2]

Cross-cultural translations Criticism

There has been some criticism of the film for its American-release translation of one of the central ideas in the film: 天下 (tiān xià). It literally means "under heaven" or "under the firmament", and is a Chinese phrase to mean The World.

The translation "Our land" seems to denote just the nation of China rather than the whole world. Whether Zhang Yimou intended the film to also have meaning with regard to the world and world unity is hard to say.

Zhang Yimou was asked about the change at a screening in Massachusetts and said it was a problem of translation. "If you ask me if 'our land' is a good translation, I can't tell you. All translations are handicapped. Every word has different meanings in different cultures," he said.

The Miramax release

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DVD cover for Hero

Miramax owned the American-market distribution rights, but delayed the release of the film a total of six times. Import DVDs of the film were sold online and Miramax demanded that the sites cease selling the DVD.

The movie was finally released in theatres on August 27, 2004 after intervention by Disney executives and Quentin Tarantino. Harvey Weinstein, head of Miramax, originally planned on removing twenty minutes of the film that he believed would be confusing for Western audiences. However, he told Tarantino he would release the movie uncut if he agreed to be the film's presenter; for this reason, his name was attached to the credits as "Quentin Tarantino Presents".

The United States version of the DVD, with Mandarin, English, and French soundtracks, was released on November 30 2004. However the American release had the English translation altered to a more Westernized manner of speaking (for example, "our land" in the American version as opposed to the direct translation "all under heaven").

Box office

When Hero opened in Hong Kong in December 2002, it grossed a massive HK $15,471,348 in its first week. Its final gross of HK $26 million made it one of the top films in Hong Kong that year.

On August 27, 2004, after a long delay, Hero opened on 2,031 North American screens uncut and subtitled. It debuted at #1, grossing US $18,004,319 ($8,864 per screen) in its opening weekend. The total was the second highest opening weekend ever for a foreign language film. Its US $53,710,019 North American box office gross makes it the fourth highest-grossing foreign language film in North American box office history.

The total worldwide box office gross is US $177,394,432.

Critical response

The film received highly favorable reviews scoring 94% at Rotten Tomatoes[3] and 84 at Metacritic.[4] The reviewer for Salon.com took an especially positive stance deeming it among the most "ravishing films" ever.[5]

Nevertheless there were film critics who felt the film advocated autocracy and reacted with discomfort. Stephen Hunter gave the film a strongly positive review, but mentioned his concern that the film endorsed the views presented by Qin Shi Huang and therefore was "wrong" from his ethical perspective.[6] The Village Voice's reviewer deemed it to have a "cartoon ideology" and justification for ruthless leadership comparable to Triumph of the Will. [7]

Awards and recognition

• Hero was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards but lost to Nowhere in Africa (Germany).
• Zhang Yimou won the Alfred Bauer Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2003 for his work in Hero.
• The National Society of Film Critics awarded him their Best Director award.
• The New York Film Critics Circle recognized cinematographer Christopher Doyle with its award for Best Cinematography
• The Chicago Film Critics Association awarded Hero Best Cinematography, alongside Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.
• The Online Film Critics Society awarded Hero Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.
• It received of seven Hong Kong Film Awards in 2003, including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound. The movie was also nominated for seven other awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Song, and Best Director.

Trivia

• The musical instrument used in the fight in the Go courtyard scene is an ancient zither said to be a predecessor of the guqin, the Chinese seven-stringed zither. The actual music was performed by Liu Li on a modern guqin.
• Hero (英雄) is the hit theme song sung by Faye Wong. It is unavailable in the American versions of the film and soundtrack album.
• Wind & Sand (風沙) is a theme song inspired by the film and sung by actor Tony Leung. It is only available in his titled album.
• This is the first Jet Li movie made in Mainland China in the more than 20 years since his debut as a leading actor, in Shaolin Temple in 1979.
• The King of Qin used an ancient way of saying 'I', 寡人 (gua ren), which literally means 'lonely person'.
• The board game referred to as chess during the confrontation with Sky is go, or weiqi, an ancient game of strategy still played today.
• An extended edition of Hero with eight minutes of additional footage was released in China. It features minor differences in story, music, and fight sequences to those of the theatrical version. One particular difference in the extended version of Hero was Moon attempting to take her life before Nameless stops her after Broken Sword left with his sword and words.
• The flying fight scene between Nameless and Broken Sword was filmed above the waters of Arrow Bamboo Lake in the Jiuzhaigou Valley of northern Sichuan.
• The comic book version of the story by Wing Shing Ma is faithful to the film's story for the most part. In this version, all of the heros survive.
• Coincidentally, Jet Li's first name is written as 杰 (Jié), which also means "hero."
• Drum n' bass group Evol Intent have a song entitled "Broken Sword" which appears on the Dieselboy compilation album The Human Resource on both discs. The song samples the film's soundtrack.
• Hero is one of very few titles to be released on EVD as well as DVD.

See also

• Cinema of China

External links

• Jet Li and the essence of a 'Hero'
• Hero at IMDb
• Hero at Rotten Tomatoes
• Hero at Metacritic
• Is HERO a Paean to Authoritarianism?
• Cracking the Color Code of 'Hero'
• A comparison of DVD releases
• Another comparison of DVD releases, with screenshots
• Zhang Ziyi CSC: Hero
• Hero from Helloziyi.us
• Hero at Box Office Mojo