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Ying xiong
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Hero (2002) More at IMDbPro »Ying xiong (original title)

Photos (See all 48 | slideshow) Videos (see all 7)
Hero -- Trailer
Hero -- US Home Video Trailer from Miramax
Hero -- A series of Rashomon-like flashback accounts shape the story of how one man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.
Hero -- Hero starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation.

Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   114,960 votes »
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Director:
Yimou Zhang
Writers:
Bin Wang
Yimou Zhang
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Hero on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 August 2004 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Action | Drama | History See more »
Tagline:
Kono kuni wa mada, hontô no hero wo shiranai [Japan] (This land doesn't know a real hero. Yet.) See more »
Plot:
One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 27 wins & 19 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(172 articles)
Top 10 Swords In Film History
 (From Obsessed with Film. 2 August 2011, 3:19 PM, PDT)
Fantasia 2011: ‘True Legend’ is a step above most forgettable Kung-Fu films
 (From SoundOnSight. 24 July 2011, 11:54 PM, PDT)
Bodyguards And Assassins Trailer & Comic-Con Screening Info
 (From GeekTyrant. 22 July 2011, 4:08 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Space See more (823 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)

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: English version)
Ma Wen Hua ... Head Eunuch
Xu Kuang Hua ... Pianist
Liu Jie ... Qin Guard #6
Li Lei ... Qin Guard #3

Emil Lin ... Nameless (voice: English version)

Bruce Locke ... Sky (voice: English version)
Jin Ming ... Eunuch

Angela Oh ... Moon (voice: English version)
Peng Qiang ... Qin Guard #5

James Sie ... Broken Sword (English Version) (voice)

Elizabeth Sung ... Flying Snow (voice: English version)
Chang Xiao Yang ... General
Wang Shou Xin ... Musician
Zhang Yi ... Qin Guard #7
Tielin Zhang
Yakun Zhang ... The Qin guards' commander
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Directed by
Yimou Zhang 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Feng Li 
Bin Wang 
Yimou Zhang 

Produced by
Shoufang Dou .... executive producer
William Kong .... producer (as Bill Kong)
Philip Lee .... line producer
Weiping Zhang .... executive producer
Yimou Zhang .... producer
Zhenyan Zhang .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Tan Dun 
 
Cinematography by
Christopher Doyle 
 
Film Editing by
Angie Lam 
Vincent Lee (documentary segment)
Ru Zhai 
 
Production Design by
Tingxiao Huo 
Zhenzhou Yi 
 
Art Direction by
Qin Hong Bo (supervising art director)
Zhong Han (supervising art director)
Tingxiao Huo 
Liu Yong Qi (supervising art director)
Bin Zhao 
 
Costume Design by
Emi Wada 
 
Makeup Department
Siu-Mui Chau .... chief hair stylist (as Chau Siu Mui)
Lee-na Kwan .... chief makeup artist (as Lee Na Kwan)
Tam Ying Kwan .... hair stylist
Shul Niu .... assistant hair stylist
Yang Shu-Dong .... makeup artist
Ji Wei-Hua .... makeup artist
Xiaohai Yang .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Tianhui Ge .... unit manager
Jane Maguire .... post-production supervisor
Zhenyan Zhang .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shi Bin .... seventh assistant director
Xiaoyang Chang .... fifth assistant director
Liu Guonan .... third assistant director (as Liu Guo Nan)
Huan Qi .... first assistant director
Lu Tao .... fourth assistant director
Du Ming Xiang .... sixth assistant director
Jinzhan Zhang .... director: battle sequences (as Zhang Jin Zhan)
Wei Zhou .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Zhao Xiao Dan .... property master
Gao De Zhong .... set dresser
Liu Jin Guo .... set dresser
Zhongquan Hu .... assistant set dresser (as Hu Zhong Quan)
Yi Hua .... sketch artist
Wang Xue Jun .... draftsman
Li Yan Lai .... sketch artist
Ming-Shan Li .... property master (as Ming Shan Li)
Guang Lu .... props
Xiao Jun Min .... assistant to sketch artist
Wang Jia Ren .... assistant set dresser
Ming Wu .... storyboard artist
Liu Yi .... assistant set dresser
Yang Zhan Yi .... assistant set dresser
 
Sound Department
Lai Jia Bin .... sound technician
Steve Burgess .... sound editor
Li Pei Gen .... sound assistant
Wei He .... sound technician
Yu Hou .... sound assistant
Peng Jiang .... second sound assistant
Tao Jun Jie .... sound technician
Si Guo Li .... sound assistant
Francis Ward Lindsay .... sound editor
Robert Mackenzie .... sound effects editor
Andrew Neil .... sound effects editor
Glenn Newnham .... sound editor
Paul Pirola .... sound effects editor
Roger Savage .... sound re-recording mixer
Roger Savage .... supervising sound editor
Blair Slater .... foley mixer & editor
Blair Slater .... foley recordist
Jing Tao .... sound
Jing Tao .... supervising sound editor
Li Wen .... sound assistant
Andy Wright .... assistant re-recording mixer
Wang Yu .... sound assistant
Zhigang Zhang .... first sound assistant
Chris Goodes .... sound editor (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Jance Allen .... compositor
Charlie Armstrong .... senior compositor
Kevin Baillie .... digital artist
Aaron Barclay .... lead compositor
Ryan Beadle .... digital I/O
Chris Bone .... R&D programmer
Dan Breckwoldt .... digital compositor
Andy Brown .... visual effects supervisor: Animal Logic
Ian Brown .... lighting sequence lead
Alex Brownell .... visual effects coordinator: Tweak Films
Sonia Calvert .... digital compositor
Cedrick Chan .... digital artist
YouJin Choung .... visual effects
Sarah Cloutier .... digital liaison
Fiona Crawford .... visual effects producer
Francisco DeLaTorre .... visual effects artist: Tweak Films
Jonathan Dixon .... digital liaison
Dennis Dorney .... digital lineup
David Dulac .... visual effects supervisor
Wayde Duncan-Smith .... 3D animator
Rebecca Dunn .... digital compositor
Stephen Evans .... digital compositor
Arin Finger .... visual effects coordinator: The Orphanage
Lindsay Fleay .... 3D lead
Howard Fuller .... 3D animator
Michele Gray .... visual effects producer: Tweak Films
Matthew Hendershot .... digital artist: The Orphanage
Jesse Ho .... animator
Christopher Horvath .... visual effects supervisor: Tweak Films
Jim Hourihan .... visual effects research and development: Tweak Films
Sarahjane Javelo .... digital paint/rotoscope artist
Krista Jordan .... senior compositor
Keith Leung .... wires artist
Justen Marshall .... production programmer
Ian McCamey .... visual effects editor: The Orphanage
Yvette Memory .... visual effects coordinator: The Orphanage
Lori C. Miller .... digital compositor
Saki Mitchell .... digital compositor
Cliff Mueller .... lead animator: Tweak Films
Luke O'Byrne .... visual effects producer: The Orphanage
Scott Palleiko .... technical director: Tweak Films
Guoyu Pan .... visual effects supervisor
JaeWook Park .... technical director/compositor
Ellen Poon .... visual effects supervisor
Murray Pope .... visual effects executive producer
Alex Prichard .... digital artist: The Orphanage
Wang Shu Qing .... model maker
Dane Rapaport .... systems administrator
Jeff Renton .... 3D animator
Aaron Rhodes .... digital compositor: The Orphanage
Michael Root .... visual effects sequence supervisor: Tweak Films
Jonathan Rothbart .... visual effects supervisor: The Orphanage
Danielle Rubin .... visual effects coordinator
Marc Sadeghi .... executive visual effects producer
Richard Schlein .... visual effects executive producer: Tweak Films
Pheng Sisopha .... compositor
Christa Starr .... technical director: Tweak Films
Robert Sullivan .... video operations supervisor: Animal Logic
Chris Swinbanks .... film I/O supervisor
Ryan Tudhope .... digital artist
David Valentin .... visual effects associate producer
Ray Van Steenwyk .... animator
Sandeep Vengsarkar .... digital compositor
Carl Walters .... digital artist
Frederick Wolff .... scanning and recording operator
George Zwier .... digital compositor
S. Kai Bovaird .... digital effects artist (uncredited)
Ben De Luca .... systems administrator (uncredited)
Chris Godfrey .... on-set visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Laurence Lok .... roto artist (uncredited)
Kristi Valk .... digital artist: The Orphanage (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Hu Wen Biao .... stunts
Xia Bin .... stunts
Hua Cao .... stunts
Siu-Tung Ching .... action director
Shi Feng .... stunts
Wang Wen Hua .... stunts
Wang Zhao Hui .... stunts
Zhao Hui .... stunts
Feng Iang .... stunts
Li Fang Jin .... stunts
Li Lei .... stunts
Cai Li .... action choreographer
Li Ou .... stunts
Huang Tao .... stunts
Wei Tung .... action director
Li Wei .... stunts
Jack Wong Wai Leung .... action choreographer
Zheng Xin Xin .... stunts
Din Yong .... stunts
Sun Yong .... stunts
Bai Lin Yuh .... stunts
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jasmine Yuen Carrucan .... assistant camera (as Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan)
Wang Ji Chao .... additional assistant camera: battle sequences
Song De Hua .... assistant camera
Wei Guo Dong .... generator operator
Yu Jian Dong .... electrician
Guo Xing Hai .... assistant camera
Yong Hou .... additional camera operator
Dongsheng Jiang .... electrician (as Jian Dong Sheng)
Zhang Hua Jie .... additional assistant camera: battle sequences
Cao Jin .... additional assistant camera: battle sequences
Li Wu Jun .... generator operator
Zhu Al Jun .... assistant camera
Baoquan Li .... Steadicam operator (as Bao Quan Li)
Zhang Li .... additional assistant camera: battle sequences
Brett Matthews .... first assistant camera: "a" camera
Kong Yu Ping .... camera grip
Cao Yong Qiang .... electrician
Li Zu Rong .... still photographer
Yoshio Sato .... still photographer
Lihong Wang .... best boy electric
Tian Lin Wang .... additional assistant camera: battle sequences
Chao Wei .... camera grip
Chen Zhu Xiang .... assistant camera
Fusen Xu .... camera grip (as Fu Sen Xu)
Jeng Zi Ying .... electrician
Chuncheng Zhao .... assistant camera (as Zhao Chun Cheng)
Xiaoding Zhao .... camera operator
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Zeng Qing Chun .... costumer
Jin-Hua Gu .... costumer (as Gu Jin Hua)
Bao-Rong Huang .... wardrobe supervisor
Zhu Ming .... costumer
Zhu Run Sen .... costumer
 
Editorial Department
Olivier Fontenay .... color grader
Matt Garner .... post-production executive: Miramax
Mark Griffith .... digital intermediate colorist (2008 digital restoration)
Al Hansen .... digital colorist
Antonio Mestres .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Tan Dun .... conductor
Richard King .... music scoring engineer
Simon Leadley .... music editor
Itzhak Perlman .... musician: violin solos and fiddling
Tim Ryan .... music editor
Katrina Schiller .... assistant music editor
 
Other crew
Kerry Dibbs .... post production assistant
Xu Ai Dong .... production assistant
Xia Li Fu .... production assistant
Wang Li Ge .... script supervisor
Li Guang .... script supervisor
Henry Hayashi .... adr voice replacement
Yong Hou .... location scout
Zhihua Hou .... assistant to director
Zhong Hu .... production assistant
Duang Xue Jun .... cashier
Kodo .... drumming
Ming Beaver Kwei .... personal assistant: Jet Li
Stephen Lam .... production coordinator
Roger Lee .... chief accountant
Maria Lo Orzel .... creative consultant
Stanley J. Orzel .... creative consultant
Ji Pei .... script supervisor
Fellicia Pullam .... assistant: Ziyi Zhang
Wei Ran .... script supervisor
Zhang Rui .... cashier
John Salvitti .... assistant: Donnie Yen (as John Paul Salvitti)
Quentin Tarantino .... presenter (US version)
Lao Li Ya .... production coordinator
Li Yan .... assistant: Ziyi Zhang
Wei Yan Yen .... production assistant
Shi Ze Yi .... production assistant
Lei Yu .... production assistant
Jiang Zi .... production assistant
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Ying xiong" - China (original title)
"Jet Li's Hero" - USA (promotional title)
"Quentin Tarantino Presents Hero" - USA (promotional title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for stylized martial arts violence and a scene of sensuality
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
99 min | China:107 min (extended version) | China:93 min | Turkey:89 min (TV version)
Country:
China | Hong Kong
Language:
Mandarin
Color:
Black and White | Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (bw) | Ireland:12 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39290) | France:U | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | South Korea:12
Filming Locations:
Dunhuang, Gansu, ChinaSee more »
Company:
Beijing New Picture Film Co.See more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Tony Leung Chiu Wai tore a ligament while filming the lake scenes. The filming was delayed for just one day and then resumed.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Nameless comes back to Broken Sword after helping Flying Snow fend off arrows (as they comment on each others calligraphy and swordplay), close-ups of Broken Sword shows he has a piece of hair over his face. In the wide shots, his hair is swept back.See more »
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.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Het glazen huis: Eigen agenda (#1.52)" (2005)See more »

FAQ

Is "Ying xiong" based on a book?
What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?
What musical instrument was the old guy playing near the beginning of the movie?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
94 out of 162 people found the following review useful.
Space, 8 September 2004
Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach

Two things interesting about this project. First, the sad news, at least for the Chinese, that the Japanese have finally won. This is a Japanese film in all important respects: the theming by lush color, the rather modern notion of benevolent conquest (genuinely originating in the Persians but only used since as justification for selfish empire, specifically in this case Japanese conquest - and adopted by the Chinese only since the war) and of course the wholesale swallowing of Kurosawa.

Kurosawa is here obviously in the story: it is half 'Rashomon' and half 'Ran.' But more important is Kurosawa's theory of film as a device to capture space. As with Parisian impressionist painters, the thing painted is not the point. It provides an origin only; the painting is about all the magical things that happen in the space between the subject and the viewers eye. The paintings, and Kurosawa's films are about that space.

Kurosawa invented the technique of shooting from very far away with a telephoto so as to flatten space, and at the same time creating (usually three) layers of space. Often, he would engage the space directly.

This masterful film is obsessive about the point and may be the most lush swim in dimensional space you are likely to find with the technology we have. Every shot is oriented around not the action, but the space that contains the action. Falling water, dust, lots of blown fabric and hair, feathers, arrows, even book tablets and those leaves! With lots of bamboo screens, all these are used to show the space, plus the usual fantastic mountains, clouds and forests - even at the end the Great Wall and of course the moving waves of soldiers and courtiers.

Many of the architectural shots are lifted from Welles' "Othello."

The matter is not lost in the copious allusions to mental space: the game of Go, music, calligraphy, politics, and love. All these are defined, exercised and conflated with one another in terms of space and the intrigue of space with a little more effort in the latter items on the list. Then, waving lamps are used to make 'murderous intent' spatial.

Unlike 'Crouching Tiger' which this resembles not at all, the camera is static, not dancing. Where Lee emphasized the ballet of the fight by engaging his camera, Zhang stands back in the space. Where Lee conceives fights not among the participants but their masters, Zhang shows us not the fights, but the battles among the true worlds of the fights - the worlds of different colors.

What we see could be the imaged Go game, or the imaged fight within it, or the imaged story Nameless tells, or the one the King tells and on and on with nestings of imaginations.

Every nation creates their own movie to explain themselves. We in the US seem to like more militarist stuff. Except for the thuggish motive (my war for my kind of peace), we would do well to have stories about stories like this one through four layers until they reflect back on the origin. Complex story space in rich real space.

If you are going to see this, you really must see 'In the Mood for Love,' which features Broken Sword and Flying Snow in something of the same relationship they have here. It is one of the best films ever made and truly spatial in a purely Chinese manner. It will completely transform your enjoyment of this.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

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