Hero

Hero is a Chinese film with English sub-titles. For starters, it's not just another kung-fu flick and while kung-fu (sword-play in this film) is seen throughout the makers have tried to show more than just the nuances of kung-fu. In fact we are to understand little about some tiger-style from some Wanchu mountain and more about relationships, ideals, human nature and political problems. The story is set in Ancient China, some time before the great wall was built when modern-day China was a bunch of six warring tribes as opposed to the unified dynasty it later became. Qin apparently was the strongest of the tribes and its most notable rivalry was with Zhao. The emperor of Qin wishes to unite the tribes and has not been able to avoid blood-shed in attempting so. Consequently he has made numerous enemies and has survived several assassination attempts made on him by formidable warriors.

Hero would be unimaginable without the numerous beautiful duels but I came out of it feeling a little cheated with the character development which I found inadequate. Master nameless (Hero) is an orphan who lost his family to the Qin as a consequence of which he feels intensely driven to assassinate their emperor. Broken Sword and Flying Snow make a lovely couple who had once decided to kill the emperor but did not do so as Broken Sword decided to pull out at the last moment. The conflict in their interests has taken taken its toll on their relationship but the tenderness of their love can still be seen. Broken Sword is said to have transformed from a care-free lad to a man deeply in love and is seen to have an incredible understanding of the true nature of things. He derives his sword-play from calligraphy and sees no difference between the two. A sword of the highest skill, he no longer takes life with it. Nothing is told about his family or early-life experiences and his once care-free disposition might have resulted from growing up with similar buddies. Flying Snow is the daughter of a Zhao general who was killed in a battle against the Qin. This explains her anger towards the Qin and her generally angry dispostion. She cares for Broken Sword deeply but feels betrayed by him in his decision to abandon the assassination. Lovers fight often and often seriously so. Broken Sword and Flying Snow are no different. Instead of a verbal duel they fight with their swords. Alas the difficulty in intimacy is shown albeit in a way that might seem extreme. Moon plays a minor role as a student of Broken Sword. She has much to learn from him, of sword-play and of life. The emperor on the other hand is a wise man who is not wise enough to please all.

The inter-play between these characters is fascinating to watch but some more light on their origins will surely help understand better why they are what they are.

The entire film is shown in the form of a dialogue between the emperor and Master Nameless who happens to be the latest and the most determined threat to his life so far. The dialogue evolves with gripping enigma and through it are shown the other characters.

Hero to me is a film about people seeking a balance between inner drives and external realities. Of brave people trying to make peace between what they experience within and what they experience outside.

A truly unique human experience.