Hero (2002)
"Ying xiong" (original title)

One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Feng Li, Bin Wang,

Stars:

Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 27 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jet Li	...	Nameless
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Broken Sword (as Tony Leung Chiu-Wai)
Maggie Cheung	...	Flying Snow (as Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk)
Ziyi Zhang	...	Moon (as Zhang Ziyi)
Daoming Chen	...	Qin Emperor
Donnie Yen	...	Sky
Zhongyuan Liu	...	Old scholar
Tianyong Zheng	...	Old Servant
Yan Qin	...	Prime Minister
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Xia Bin	...	Qin Guard #4
Hua Cao	...	Qin Guard #2
Heizi	...	Qin Guard #1
James Hong	...	Qin Emperor (voice)
Ma Wen Hua	...	Head Eunuch
Xu Kuang Hua	...	Pianist

Storyline

In ancient China, before the reign of the first emperor, warring factions throughout the Six Kingdoms plot to assassinate the most powerful ruler, Qin. When a minor official defeats Qin's three principal enemies, he is summoned to the palace to tell Qin the story of his surprising victory.

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Plot Keywords:

king | china | flying | sword | assassin | 

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Taglines:

Kono kuni wa mada, hontô no hero wo shiranai [Japan] (This land doesn't know a real hero. Yet.)

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Genres:

Action | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for stylized martial arts violence and a scene of sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official site

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jet Li's Hero

Filming Locations:

Dunhuang, Gansu, China

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$302,114 (Brazil) (25 March 2005)

Gross:

$826,902 (Brazil) (15 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing New Picture Film Co., China Film Co-Production Corporation, Elite Group Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 107 min (extended) 89 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Chan was offered the role of the King but turned it down.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt double for The King in fighting scenes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nameless: [voiceover] I was orphaned at a young age and was never given a name. People simply called me Nameless. With no family name to live up to, I devoted myself to the sword. I spent ten years perfecting unique skills as a swordsman. The King of Qin has summoned me to court, for what I have accomplished has astonished the kingdom.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: (Piloto) Bestezuelas, Piratas del Caribe 4... (2011)

User Reviews

Lovely and Evil

Visually this is a beautiful movie, however at it's heart it feels like propaganda meant to explain why it is okay that the Chinese government massacred the students at Tiananmen Square, why it's okay if they may attack Taiwan to unify the country and why Tibet must be occupied: it's for the greater good. So when you see the scene where the defenseless calligraphy students are killed by the King of Qin, remember he didn't want to do it, he just doing it for the good of China 'Our Nation' (a phrase coined by Mao Tse Tung and force down the throats of his subjects). The suffering or death of individuals doesn't matter as long as the greater good of the masses is served. It carefully promotes the "One China" myth invented by the government to explain China's expansion and absorption of places like Tibet.

It's really part of China see? Just like so much of Europe was *really* part of Germany...

Speaking of Germany: This movie is on par with the worst propaganda the Nazi's created. I can only hope that people who are drawn in by the great cast, or beautiful cinematography are not so fooled that they let the evil propaganda at the end of the movie to sneak into their brains. I can see now how Joseph Goebbels (Nazi Propaganda Minister) was able to fool so many educated people. You just shroud your evil argument with beautiful images so that the victims swallow it whole. I don't discourage you from seeing the movie, just don't be afraid to talk about what it really is about.