After a successful run in Asia, including the biggest box office even in China's cinema history, the film Hero (Ying xiong) debuted in the United States at the end of August to take advantage of the idle time of millions of out-of-school American children. The story could be classified as a prequel to The Emperor and the Assassin (1999), a tale about some of the events leading up to the unification of China from seven states into one in the third century bc. A lower class swordsman, known as Nameless (played by Jet Li), reportedly has killed three assailants who stormed the palace of King Qin (played by Daoming Chen) ten years earlier. Having failed in a mission to kill the king, Sky (played by Donnnie Yen), Flying Snow (played by Maggie Cheung Man Yuk), and Broken Sword (played by Tony Leung Chiu Wai) were on the kingdom's "most wanted" list. Claiming to have vanquished the trio, Nameless is allowed to approach the king closer than anyone else--ten paces. When Nameless describes how he killed the three assassins, the king realizes that he is lying, despite his Rashomonesque recollection of his encounter with the three assassins, dramatized as flashbacks with choreographed fight scenes that attempt to outclass Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). Nameless had been seeking to kill Qin (who, of course, survives and eventually becomes China's first emperor). The dialog between the two in the palace serves to explain why, philosophically, Nameless cannot kill him. But the film's simple plot is completely overshadowed by grandiose animation techniques and gorgeous cinematography that includes five scenes with distinctive coloration. Directed by Yimou Zhong, Hero is best appreciated as eye candy for teenagers, with occasional masterful violin accompaniment by Itzhak Perlman. MH
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