Movie Review: Hero



Last night I went to see the new Jet Li/Zhang Yimou movie, Hero. This movie is set in ancient times and tells the story of three assassins who are out to kill the man who would become China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi. Historians and the Chinese have mixed feelings about this guy; one the one hand, he unified China for the first time, established a single monetary system, standardized weights and measures so trade could be conducted more efficiently, and even standardized the width of carts so that all the roads would have equally spaced track ruts. On the other hand, he slaughtered cartloads of people, imposed a harsh legal system, and, most scurrilous of all, ordered a mass burning of all the scholarly and historical books he didn't like. He was one of those "history begins with me!" sort of leaders.

For a long time Qin Shihuangdi was demonized in the official history books as a monstrous warlord with no culture. It took Mao Zedong to rehabilitate his reputation. Mao was a big fan of the first emperor, and pointed out all the good things he did for the country, such as the standardization mentioned above. Qin Shihuangdi is also given credit for building the Great Wall. So, in many ways, the first emperor was like Mao: a monster in some ways, but also a great unifier. Remember this when you watch the movie and Qin Shihuangdi speaks about his reasons for conquest - it's like watching Mao speak from beyond the grave.

The movie is, like most Zhang Yimou movies, beautifully photographed, with luscious colors and sweeping vistas. This is one that just won't be the same on DVD, even if you've got a huge television. The martial arts action is exciting and similar to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - lots of jumping and aerial work with drums going in the background. As one fellow moviegoer at the College Point multiplex said after the first fight scene - "Whaat? That was sick." Outside of the fight scenes, it's a little slow, and the tone is very bittersweet and melodramatic - lots of sad string music.

Enjoy!