A Nerd Reviews #Hero
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Aaron Fitzgerald
Loosely based on the attempted assassination of the king of Qin, “Hero”, is a breathtaking work of cinema. With a magnificent array of landscapes and lush visuals this film captures the Chinese spirit like no other movie. On top of its amazing cinematography the martial art sequences her astounding to behold. Under the incredible eye of Asian director Zhang Yimou, “Hero”, is a refreshing look at a divided nation yearning to become a unified country.
Jet Li stars as a warrior known only by name as Nameless. In the opening sequence of the story he arrives at the palace of the king of Qin, masterfully played by Chen Dao Ming, to convey to him the plot in which he had disposed of the three assassins who conspired to murder him. Nameless is allowed to sit a hundred paces in front of the king and drink with him. What follows is a series of stories within stories, some fabrications and some truths as we learn that Nameless is not what he seems. A protagonist with hidden agendas can be engaging. At first the audience is curious about his intentions but as the story develops we learn the truth.
A cold calculating Donnie Yen portrays the invincible Sky, an outlaw and skilled swordsmen whom Nameless duels, mostly in his mind. Nameless gives us references concerning swordplay as being analogous to music. In this sequence we realize the beauty of the art we are beholding. Every thrust and dodge is amazingly calculated. Later sword fighting is related to calligraphy as we ascertain its majestic movements.
As Nameless conveys this thread to the king he is allowed to move closer and closer to his majesty. It seems that the best way to get close to your victim is to gain their trust, step by step. Once Nameless is ten feet away the king discovers his true motives and confronts him with his new found knowledge. This entire time the flickering candles arranged in front of the king have been giving away Nameless’ true aims.
We discover that Nameless has been working with the assassins all along, including Sky, Broken Sword, Snow and Moon, boldly portrayed by Zhang Ziyi, who always marvelously depicts strength and intimacy. Once again we are subjected to lies and half realities as Nameless reveals his scheme against the king of Qin.
At the very conclusion Nameless springs at the king with his sword drawn. For a moment we believe the king is dead but then we see that Nameless turned his sword at the last moment. Nameless allows himself to be killed by a horde of arrows, martyring himself and bringing unity and peace to a conflicted country. His death is an irony. On the one hand he was killed for being a traitor but is buried as a hero. The king of Qin ascends to the position of Emperor and a new era dawns on a once warring land.
America was a divided nation and we liberated ourselves and united our country. Chinese history bears a close resemblance to our own history. There’s no shame in being proud of where you came from and in this film the Chinese communicate this admirably. Now if we could only find a common ground and unite as the human race.