Plot
One man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China.
Release Year: 2002
Rating: 8.0/10 (94,674 voted)
Critic's Score: 84/100
Director:
Yimou Zhang
Stars: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung
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.
Writers: Bin Wang, Yimou Zhang
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
-
King of Qin
Donnie Yen
-
Sky
Zhongyuan Liu
-
Old scholar
Tianyong Zheng
-
Old Servant
Yan Qin
-
Prime Minister
Chang Xiao Yang
-
General
Yakun Zhang
-
Commander
Ma Wen Hua
-
Head Eunuch
Jin Ming
-
Eunuch
Xu Kuang Hua
-
Pianist
Wang Shou Xin
-
Musician
Trivia: Jackie Chan was offered the role of the King but turned it down.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Moon gives Nameless the sword as he is in the horse-drawn cart, she initially approaches from the right, but later is seen to the left of the cart.
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.
User Review
Some of the most astonishing cinematography I've ever seen.
Rating:
Some reviewers have suggested that the storyline of this movie is a bit
plodding and portentous, and I'd be willing to allow that. But even if
this film had absolutely no plot to speak of, I would have considered
the money I plunked down yesterday to see "Hero" to be money
well-spent, because I have been witness to some of the most achingly
beautiful film-making I've ever seen. As in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon," the characters here fly through the air and dance across
water, but "Crouching Tiger" surely could have benefited from the
sublime camera eye of "Hero." One scene of swordplay in particular that
takes place in a grove of trees amongst swirling yellow leaves almost
stopped my heart in my chest: It was that gorgeous. And yes, there is a
plot also, one that involves various assassins with names like Sky, and
Broken Sword, and Flying Snow. I have to admit that the tales and
counter-tales told were a bit confusing at first, but by the time the
film is over, all the pieces have fallen into place, and this chapter
of ancient Chinese history has assumed a truly mythical quality. At a
time when movie theaters show a lot of utter dreck, we ought to be
supporting movies like this.
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