Giving genre a kick

In 2000, Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a surprise hit despite that it initially had a limited release. The film attracted people who wouldn’t be caught dead watching a martial-arts movie and even won praise from hardcore aficionados.

It’s hard to say whether Zhang Yimou’s Hero, which many will compare to Crouching Tiger, will receive similar acclaim. But if Hero does not eclipse its predecessor at the box office, it will not be for lack of quality. It is, quite simply, a magnificent film.

Jet Li plays Nameless, a minor official in the Qin dynasty 2,000 years ago. The film, in Mandarin Chinese, starts with Nameless telling the emperor of Qin how he encountered three of the most lethal assassins in the land and dispatched each of them. As he tells the emperor about each encounter, the film uses flashbacks to show what happened.

Not unlike in Kurosowa’s classic Rashomon, the story is told from the viewpoint of the three warriors, Nameless and the emperor. As the tale progresses, it is apparent that things are not always as they seem.

It’s unfair to compare one film to another, but in this case comparisons to Crouching Tiger are inescapable. It was a fine movie in that it introduced many people to kung fu, yet it had a lyrical power all its own.

But Hero is the stronger effort. With incredible cinematography by Christopher Doyle and a hauntingly beautiful score by Dun Tan (the Oscar-winning composer from Crouching Tiger), the film magically transforms the audience to another time, when things were both simpler and more complicated.

The praise also must be spread to the cast. Li has never been better, but of course he’s given a starring role. Here, his usual reticence makes much more sense and he is a believable "hero" as we see the action unfold.

But this is hardly just Li’s movie. The director has assembled an amazing cast, including Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Zhang Ziyi.

Another thing going for Hero is its sheer majesty. Like some of the Japanese director Kurosowa’s later work, it plays very well as a historical epic. Some of the scenes featuring the emperor’s vast army will inspire goosebumps for all but the most jaded of viewers.

At only 99 minutes, Hero seems longer — not because it drags, but because it’s packed with material. It is an epic film that should both entrance and entertain.

Hero
PG-13
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Starting tomorrow at Ritz theaters
Three-and-a-half reels out of four

Recommended rental

The Passion of the Christ
R
Available Tuesday

Although I had some problems with The Passion — including the brutal level of violence and its limited depiction of Jesus’ spiritual influence — it was one of the most debated films to come out in some time. Whether you think the movie an ultra-violent, thinly veiled anti-Semitic bloodbath with very little passion or one of the most deeply inspiring religious films of all time, you can’t deny its impact. Director Mel Gibson stuck his neck out as far as it goes and the rewards were enormous. As you probably heard, the film recounts the last day in the life of Jesus. The Passion, which is in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew with subtitles, stars Jim Caviezel and a truly international cast.