TEE KOK SHENG Film Review (HERO)

Hero (2002) is a film that is known as the chinese martial chivalry film, which i a traditional Chinese genre. However, how this film differs from the others is that it uses the narrative method known as a ‘flashback’. The story starts with Wu Ming telling his story, allowing narrative time to rewind. But there is a twist since it become apparent that Wu Ming seems to be not a reliable narrator. It makes the audiences to experience the same story twice with different consequences in the story as the story are ‘re-told’. Towards the end of the film, the story returns to the story in parallel, which is happening to Wu Ming in the palace.

The director, Zhang Yimou uses colours to tie in different segments of the story. On the other hand, each of them also contains a different story. The colour of the palace is black, enlivened only by splashes of red. This forms the geginning and the end of the story and the overall feel of this sequence extends into the first fight between Wu Ming and Chang Kong.  Red dominates the first version of the story by Wu Ming, blue for the second version of the story, green is the story which covers the failed assassination. White is the last colour, dominating the deaths of Fei Xue and Can Jian, and alternating with the black sequences back in the palace.

Other than the way the story is told, the theme of the movie is different as well compared to the common chinese martial chivalry film. Hero is about the love and compassion of the heroes of the world, their magnanimity, nationalisme and the international spirit. These characters are willing to sacrifice for their country.

The film starts with a brief story saying that China was one divided into 7 kingdoms that warred with each other frequently. It took one man to conquer all the kingdoms and unite the land. The opening caption introduces the argument of the movie: “people die for all sorts of reasons, for friendship, for love, for an ideal… and people kill for these same reasons also.” Wu Ming is lead to meet the king of Qin in the palace. It is announced that Wu Ming is being honoured for killing for killing 3 assassins from the kingdom of Zhao, namely Chang Kong, Fei Xue and Can Jian. Wu Ming presents a silver spear-head and two swords, and is rewarded with the right to approach the king within 10 paces.

His story is then found fake by the King. In the scenes depicting the king's version of the story, everyone wears blue. Wu Ming presents himself to Can Jian and Fei Xue. He displays a phenomenal technique that can kill everyone and everything within 10 paces of him, saying he used this technique to kill Chang Kong. Wu Ming explains he can use this to kill the king but the only way to get close enough is to collect the reward for killing Can Jian and Fei Xue. Wu Ming says he only has to kill one of them in front of the soldiers and they will believe his claim that he killed them both. Can Jian and Fei Xue must decide which one of them will die by his sword. The next day Can Jian and Fei Xue are walking towards the camp when Can Jian attempts to injure Fei Xue. She is faster than him and she injures him instead, saying she is going to die and wants only for him to continue living. He is now too injured to stop her and so they have a tearful farewell.

Fei Xue goes to the camp, fights Wu Ming, and dies. Wu Ming then shows up at a lake where Can Jian is mourning Flying Snow. Out of honor, Can Jian attacks Wu Ming; they fly over the lake as they fight. They are evenly matched, but Can Jian stops fighting, gives Wu Ming his sword and allows Wu Ming to leave.

Wu Ming admits that he is a native of the Zhao state, he also confesses that he defeated Chang Kong without killing him and asked Fei Xue and Can Jian to cooperate by faking a duel as well. Sword has waited for Wu Ming on his way to Qin after his false duel with Fei Xue. He told Wu Ming that the only way to achieve peace was to unite the states under a common dynasty, namely that of Qin, which alone had the ability to do so, thus revealing why Can Jian gave up his earlier assassination attempt.  When Wu Ming realizes the wisdom of Can Jian’s words, he abandons his mission and spares the King. Urged by the court, the King reluctantly executes Wu Ming in the palace.

This is a nice movie. It has many outstanding special visual design.I like this movie very much.