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HERO (2004) |
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MORGAN'S RATING |
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| Hero is the story of the soon-to-be First Emperor of China who is on the brink of conquering a war-torn land during the violent dawn of the Qin dynasty over two hundred years ago. Three opponents are determined to assassinate the King, and one loyal subject stands in their way. |
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| Jet Li (Nameless), Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Broken Sword), Maggie Cheung (Flying Snow), Zhang Ziyi (Moon), Daoming Chen (King of Qin), Donnie Yen (Long Sky, Silver Spear). |
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ONE MAN WILL CHANGE AN EMPIRE. |
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PRODUCTION INFORMATION |
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DIRECTOR: Yimou Zhang.
WRITERS: Wang Bin, Feng Li and Yimou Zhang.
PRODUCERS: William Kong, Quentin Tarantino, and Yimou Zhang.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Zhenyan Zhang.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Shoufang Dou and Weiping Zhang.
LINE PRODUCER: Philip Lee.
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Dun Tan.
DISTRIBUTOR: Miramax Films. |
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QUOTES |
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Flying Snow: How swift the sword. |
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Nameless: Good calligraphy.
Broken Sword: Good swordsmanship. |
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King of Qin: It just dawned on me! This scroll of Broken Sword's isn't about sword technique but about swordsmanship's ultimate ideal. Swordsmanship's first achievement in the unity of man and sword. Once this unity is attained, even a blade of grass can be a weapon. The second achievement is when the sword exists in one's heart when absent from one's hand. One can strike an enemy at 100 paces, even with bare hands. Swordsmanship's ultimate achievement is the absence of the sword in both hand and heart. The swordsman is at peace with the rest of the world. He vows not to kill and to bring peace to mankind. |
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FACTS |
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RELEASE DATE: August 20th, 2004 (USA)
DVD RELEASE DATE: TBA (USA)
BOX OFFICE OPENING: TBA (USA)
BOX OFFICE RESULT: TBA (USA)
BUDGET: $30 million (USA)
SHOOTING DATES: August 2001 -- January 2002
- In the flashbacks, the characters' costumes go from red (imagination) to blue (perceived reality) to white (truth). In the final flashback, the costumes are green (enlightenment/peace).
- Jet Li received a pay cut just so he could be in the movie.
- The movie is the most expensive Chinese movie to date.
- Despite garnering many awards (even a Best Foreign Film Academy Award nomination) and becoming a box office smash overseas, this martial arts epic had been gathering dust on the Miramax shelf for nearly two years before film director Quentin Tarantino stepped in to "present" the film for U.S. audiences in 2004. His support helped Miramax finally release the film.
- Miramax, the distributors, apparently cut out 20 minutes from the movie because they found that part to be "too Asian and confusing" for western audiences.
- Nominated for one Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year (China). |
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Nameless: Broken Sword said "The people have suffered years of warfare. Only the King of Qin can stop the chaos by uniting all under Heaven." |
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CRITICAL COMMENTS |
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"It's every bit as dazzling and spectacular as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." -- Andrew Sun, Hollywood Reporter |
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"A dazzlingly lensed, highly stylized meditation on heroism and the point at which individualism conflicts with the common good." -- Derek Elley, Variety |
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"Displays a rare level of artistry, thematic depth and emotional resonance." -- Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal |
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"Zhang Yimou may have dipped his cinematic pen in mere genre, but in doing so, he has inscribed a masterpiece." -- Richard Corliss, Time Magazine |
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"...through the opulent visuals, wire-fu choregraphy, and all-star cast make "Hero" worth a look, the impact of these proceedings are somewhat mutated by an emotionally ambiguous ending." -- Anthony Leung, Mediacircus |
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