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Hero

Original title: Ying xiong
  • 2002
  • PG-13
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
184K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,533
125
Hero (2002)
Trailer
Play trailer1:52
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureDrama

A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.A defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.

  • Director
    • Yimou Zhang
  • Writers
    • Feng Li
    • Yimou Zhang
    • Bin Wang
  • Stars
    • Jet Li
    • Tony Leung Chiu-wai
    • Maggie Cheung
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    184K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,533
    125
    • Director
      • Yimou Zhang
    • Writers
      • Feng Li
      • Yimou Zhang
      • Bin Wang
    • Stars
      • Jet Li
      • Tony Leung Chiu-wai
      • Maggie Cheung
    • 904User reviews
    • 160Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 46 wins & 48 nominations total

    Videos3

    Hero
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Hero
    Hero
    Trailer 1:45
    Watch Hero
    Hero
    Trailer 1:52
    Watch Hero

    Photos452

    Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Hero (2002)
    Ziyi Zhang in Hero (2002)
    Maggie Cheung in Hero (2002)
    Jet Li in Hero (2002)
    Maggie Cheung in Hero (2002)
    Jet Li in Hero (2002)
    Tony Leung Chiu-wai in Hero (2002)
    Maggie Cheung in Hero (2002)
    Donnie Yen at an event for Hero (2002)
    Clive Owen at an event for Hero (2002)
    Clive Owen at an event for Hero (2002)
    David Carradine at an event for Hero (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jet Li
    Jet Li
    • Nameless
    Tony Leung Chiu-wai
    Tony Leung Chiu-wai
    • Broken Sword
    • (as Tony Leung Chiu-Wai)
    Maggie Cheung
    Maggie Cheung
    • Flying Snow
    • (as Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk)
    Ziyi Zhang
    Ziyi Zhang
    • Moon
    • (as Zhang Ziyi)
    Daoming Chen
    Daoming Chen
    • King
    • (as Chen Dao Ming)
    Donnie Yen
    Donnie Yen
    • Sky
    Zhongyuan Liu
    • Scholar
    • (as Liu Zhong Yuan)
    Tianyong Zheng
    • Old Servant
    • (as Zheng Tian Yong)
    Yan Qin
    Yan Qin
    • Prime Minister
    Chang Xiao Yang
    • General
    Yakun Zhang
    • Commander
    • (as Zhang Ya Kun)
    Ma Wen Hua
    • Head Eunuch
    Jin Ming
    • Eunuch
    Xu Kuang Hua
    • Pianist
    Shou Xin Wang
    • Musician
    Heizi
    • Seven Qin Guards
    • (as Hei Zi)
    Hua Cao
    • Seven Qin Guards
    Lei Li
    • Seven Qin Guards
    • Director
      • Yimou Zhang
    • Writers
      • Feng Li
      • Yimou Zhang
      • Bin Wang
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The "red fight" between Moon and Flying-Snow was filmed in a forest in Mongolia. Director Yimou Zhang had to wait until the leaves turn yellow, and hired local nomads to gather even more yellow leaves in order to cover the ground completely. In fact, he was so fanatic about the leaves, that he had his crew separate the leaves into four different "classes" which were each put at increasingly farther lengths from the camera.
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the movie, subtitles state that China was divided into seven warring states. At the end, the subtitles then state that "the King of Qin" unified China, without specifying which one. Historically, the king that was the one to unite all of the Chinese states was Ying Zheng (later changed name to Shi Huang Di) who inherited the throne from his deceased father at age 13 (as opposed to the age of the king in the movie). At the time, Ying Zheng began to rule China, the seven states were already reduced to two larger states (Qin and Chu) which was later dominated by Qin when Ying Zheng was 22 years old. It is therefore impossible for the same king shown in the movie to be the king that united all the Chinese states, although the end-note is semantically correct.
    • Quotes

      King of Qin: I have just come to a realization! This scroll by Broken Sword contains no secrets of his swordsmanship. What this reveals is his highest ideal. In the first state, man and sword become one and each other. Here, even a blade of grass can be used as a lethal weapon. In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand but in the heart. Even without a weapon, the warrior can slay his enemy from a hundred paces. But the ultimate ideal is when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him. The desire to kill no longer exists. Only peace remains.

    • Alternate versions
      The Director's Cut was 107:15 minutes, compared to the theatrical version at 96:23 minutes.
    • Connections
      Edited into Ying xiong: Cause - The Birth of Hero (2002)

    User reviews904

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    No Man is an Island...
    It's a story of a man who's on a mission, without regret, without remorse, without contrition, has a plan that he'll pursue, resolute to follow through, with attrition and ambitious acquisition.

    Comprising, but not limited to outstanding duelling with a variety of razor sharp implements and tongues, a kaleidoscopic background of intense colour and beauty, several tangents to keep you on your toes, an immense scale that befits the telling of such a story with an elegance seldom encountered in Western culture when it comes to films of this time and age, buttressed through outstanding performances by the lead actors all round - outstanding.
    helpful•13
    0
    • Xstal
    • Oct 12, 2022

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    FAQ11

    • Why did the king tell his own version of events if he didn't even know what happened until just a few moments ago when he realized Nameless' plan?
    • Was the king a dictator?
    • Did the king really had to kill Nameless at the end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 27, 2004 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Hong Kong
      • China
    • Official site
      • Miramax (United States)
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Jet Li's Hero
    • Filming locations
      • Dunhuang, Gansu, China
    • Production companies
      • Edko Films
      • Zhang Yimou Studio
      • China Film Co-Production Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $31,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $53,710,019
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $17,800,000
      • Aug 29, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $177,395,557
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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