Hero Special Edition

In the annals of kung fu cinema, three names consistently pop up, at least to the amateur fan. Bruce Lee of course stands tall, his films showcasing his unique and supremely powerful brand of Jeet Kune Do while his mysterious and untimely death only aided in bringing him to the status of legend. On the other end of the spectrum, Jackie Chan has enthralled audiences with his brand of acrobatic martial arts, infused with heavy doses of humor, garnering heavy box office receipts. Jet Li is the final piece of this puzzle, his brand of martial arts film greatly taking the best from both worlds and earning him a spot among the top and most interesting kung fu actors around. And it’s here in Hero that Li cements his claim to fame, with much credit due visionary director Zhang Yimou.

Hero is the tale of a nameless assassin, Li, whose is out to avenge the death of his family at the hands of the King’s army. He finds himself before the King, relating his tales of how he has eliminated the three most powerful assassins around in order to keep the King safe. The King perceptively sees through Li’s story and through conversation and flashbacks, the true story is told, of the interplay between assassins Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), Broken Sword (Tony Leung), and Long Sky (Donnie Yen). The story culls up elements of philosophy, love, honor, politics, and more as the tale stretches on.

The element here that sets this film apart from the multitudes in its genre is simply the visual appeal. With obvious nods to the groundbreaking film, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, director Yimou has created a moviegoers masterpiece. Supported by Tan Dun’s hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, the interplay of story with the fight scenes is wonderful and the fight scenes themselves are simply beautiful, most notably Nameless’ battle with Broken Sword over the water and Flying Snow’s simply stunning melee against Moon in a field of autumnal leaves and trees. It’s this pristine grace and beauty that sets this film apart from so many other kung fu films, in that it upholds the art form while elevating it that much more with compelling support from the environment.

This special edition of the DVD is particularly helpful in aiding the understanding of how this process has been developed too. For instance, regarding the aforementioned fight between Flying Snow and Moon, one will learn from the “Close Up of a Fight Scene” featurette that the leaves for that scene which are blown across the screen were nearly handpicked and then subsequently hand cleaned for use again. It’s that painstaking attention to detail that makes this film stand apart from most.

Fans wishing to go deeper will also appreciate other bonus featurettes like “Hero Defined,” a making of short, as well as a showcase of storyboards and a fairly interesting discussion between filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who lent his name to Hero to help it to garner North American distribution, and Jet Li, as they discuss the challenges and the mindset of recording such compelling action scenes.

Hero is a must have for any martial arts lover. Whether or not you’re a Saturday afternoon, kung fu theater kind of guy or someone looking for something a little bit more high brow, this film has it all. Action, intrigue, beauty, and intelligence all packed into one amazing viewing experience.

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