Hero (2004, DVD)

Fans of the martial arts and/or Hong Kong dramas will be delighted with the stellar cast assembled for this magnificent epic. Three top stars from Wong Kar-Wai's dreamy fantasy 2046 are reunited here: Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love) is a standout as the one assassin who realizes the ultimate intent of the hated King of Qin; Maggie Cheung Man-Yak is memorable as his relentless partner who would hound the king to his grave; and the ubiquitous Ziyi Zhang plays the modest yet passionate servant who would kill for her master (Leung). Jet Li stars as the Nameless assassin who enlists the help of the top three assassins in China (Leung, Cheung, and renowned martial artist Donnie Yen) to assist him in dispatching the king once and for all. Nameless spins the king a tale of how he defeated each assassin in order to obtain their hallmark weapons, which he produces during his tale. The king points out the holes in each of Nameless' stories, and the cat and mouse game is spun through several different scenarios in flashback. The story is based loosely on the legendary Jing Ke, the assassin who attempted to murder the King of Qin.

Director Zhang Yimou's sumptuous presentation brings the latest in high-kicking kung fu to the screen, with each flashback memorable for stunning monochromatic visuals, highly anticipated kung fu confrontations, and a story that resounds with a gamut of emotions including undying love, deep-seated hate, ruthless revenge, jealousy, betrayal, and friendship, and culminating in understanding and the ultimate sacrifice. This is considered by many as the ultimate adventure film of the wuxia genre, and should not be missed. Christopher Doyle's lush cinematography, featuring stunning and brightly colored costuming and dizzying scenes of natural splendor, won numerous international awards and recognition, and is one of the most compelling features of the film.

The story has garnered some criticism, especially for the sympathetic portrayal of the King of Qin who ultimately united the middle kingdoms of China under one rule and became China's first emporer. While he was responsible (among other things) for unifying language, systems of weights and measures, and completing the Great Wall of China, he is also known as a brutal, ruthless tyrant.

Hero is a five-star, beautiful, emotional, and visually appealing epic that should not be missed, deserving a spot in every movie libary.

Pros - Advanced kung fu techniques and battle sequences; lush, breathtaking cinematography; emotionally charged plot; top-notch acting by the cream of Hong Kong cinema; haunting and memorable soundtrack; compelling storyline.

Cons - There have been some complaints by viewers that the subtitles go by too fast (not my personal opinion); subtle storytelling may need multiple viewing to fully understand plot; questionable historical perspectives. Those looking for an "action packed" film will undoubtedly be disappointed; the story is a drama with intermittent fight scenes.

This movie is a treat for the eyes. The cinematography is exceptionally beautiful... like watching a painting come to life! The story is interesting as well. Lots of twists and turns.

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The deal was good and I received what I paid for. Happy with the content. Good viewing and entertainment to my taste. The items were Region 1 (American) but being in Australia I have a multi-region DVD player so I saved heaps over what I'd pay in this country. I've bought a 1,000 dvd's off eBay and I've never missed out on a delivery.

this is just a good movie all the way around jet li was good in this show i would wach it moor than one time

visually exquisite movie, the likes of which I have not seen... every leaf that falls in this movie falls like a ballerina... rich saturated color, just GORGEOUS film... but the story does not measure up. Somehow in all that beautiful tragedy, you do not feel much for any of the charactors, and the dialogue though well written does not carry you along... it is disjointed, missing something essential... it could have been great but in my opinion it fell far short.

Hero. Nameless, selfless warrior gives all. Many turns in the story, DO NOT BE DISTRACTED or you may miss something important. Beautiful, Absolutely stunning cinamatography. Fantastic scenes of color reflecting what is happening to a character that perhaps are unique (I have certainly never seen it before). One scene in particular is the changing of the color of the golden leaves. (Don't worry, this gives nothing away). This is a story that is bigger than life.

I don't think anyone can be dissatisfied with this movie. I was stunned by it.

I wish more movies like this were made.

It is absolutely wonderful.

i love the story, and the fighting style of the characters. Jet li is my favorite actor and he shows really how great he is in this movie. If you love martial arts movies you would love this movie. I'll recomended

This movie was a great watch and i could watch this over and over. Anyone who loves good martial arts movies would love this. And its a great storyline so alot of different people will be into it.
5/5 action
5/5 storyline
5/5 visual effects

Great movie.

the movie i like but sometimes no cases. that's what you got for buying cheap movies.but it's good clear picture.

One of Jet Li's most definitive work. With lush colors depicting different versions of the story with the fighting scenes in contrast makes a perfect eye candy.

I bought this dvd after being anxious to see it for a long time. After seeing this movie, it reminded me of Rashimon, one persons side, another's, and the truth. It was an interesting twist with the beautiful use of colors to portray the moods of each persons tale of the same story, and also the use of history. Overall I would recommend this movie.

It was in Excellent condition. Got it for my 16 year old grandson for Christmas. Got here in good time and loved it.

I never received my DVD that I purchased from this seller, and my attempts to communicate with this seller were never returned. I am clearly unsatisfied with this transaction.

I love it because it is the perfect blend of a love story and a martial arts story. I bought it 5 minutes after the first time I saw it. It was that good!!!

i love this movie, it is excellent, it pwns, it is super well done, very touching, and quite amazing

Not up to Tarantino work.To much subtitles.I purched it because of Tarantino love most of his stuff.Butnot this one.One bad apple don't spoil the hole bunch.

I watched the Chinese spoken version awhile ago, so I wanted to see it again with English. A nameless warrior (Jet Li) arrives at an emperor's palace with three weapons, each belonging to a famous assassin who had sworn to kill the emperor. The emperor isn't having any of it; he suspects Nameless fabricated the whole thing only to get within striking distance of him. Photographed with strikingly vivid color shifts -- a vibrant red, a pale blue, a pristine white, and a delicate, pale green. The leaves and it colors and the lake fight scene are unreal

Beautiful Movie!!!! A must see for anyone that enjoys martial arts and even for those who want a film with a good story & wonderful colors!

I had seen the movie a couple of times and liked the artistry of the director as well as the subject matter this type film is more of an art film based on two styles chinese opera and Kung fu married in a beautifully scripted film.

The story line was slightly convoluted but you couldn't ask for better cinematography! Absolutely stunning scenery and colors. Each version of the tale had different costume colors-each magnificent! One of the most beautifully filmed motion pictures I have ever seen. Definitely worth watching for that alone not to mention the gorgeous fight scenes where the cast seems to literally fly.

I love this movie. The martial arts in this movie are stunning. Jet Li gives a great preformance, as do the other actors in the movie...If you like this movie you will really like House of flying daggers!!!

The movie on my view is good.It is very good looking from martial arts side. A lot of awesome fighting. But because there is so much drama i wouldn't cal it action movie. People fight with those they love then even tho they didn't want to they (or she to be more presice ) kills the loved one. And the she kills herself. I am not saying drama is a bad thing but if you don't like it ,maybe the movie isn't for you. Over all i liked the whole movie. ( even tho i wathced it uncut, i watched it in chinese language with only english captions.)

The only thing i didn't like is the way master 'nameless' the hero and one of the main characters dies. he dies by the arows he could easily dodge. during the movie he easily defended from large number of arows and the he dies and as i understood somewhy he didn't even try to defend himself.

Still i would recomend this to any martial arts fan.
( maybe fan is not the right word but you get what i mean)