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Plot

The story begins in China in the third century B.C., during a fratricidal battle between seven kingdoms. The warrior Nameless (Jet Li) appears at the court of King Qin (Daoming Chen), who will unify the entire nation and become its first emperor, claiming to have challenged to a duel and then killed three dangerous attackers, swordsmen Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen).
Under the banner of love, retribution, and political idealism, the story of Nameless's unfolds through colorful flashbacks, where the great events of History weigh dangerously on the personal stories of all the protagonists. During the chat, however, Qin begins to suspect Nameless of lying and accuses him of being in cahoots with the three assassins and attempting to eliminate him.

Why you should watch it?

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• Visual impact: Zhang Yimou chooses to depict the story in his own unique style, particularly through the use of colors. While the outside frame uses neutral colors (such as black and gray), the inner frame uses four different colors to highlight four different components of the story. The story of Nameless is told in red, the story of the King of Qin is told in blue, the flashback of Nameless is told in white and brown, and the flashback of Broken Sword is told in green. We can tell which point of view is being conveyed and which memories we've visited by looking at the colors, which change throughout the story. Identical temporal moments are frequently told in different colors, resulting in diverse points of view and observations. This artistic decision has an impact and aesthetically develops something really innovative and cutting-edge.
  Everything in the film has a reason to be stated and described, every component has a function to play, whether major or minor, and nothing is left unresolved. A true story, such as the one told in the film, that could have been told in a straightforward manner is told in a different way. Zhang Yimou crafts a story that at times resembles a fable, at others a chivalry poem, and at still other times a fragment of lyric poetry that can be found nowhere else, owing to the contributions of an extraordinarily professional and talented cast.

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• The amazing fighting scenes: The duels scenes can only be enchanted once the exaggerations, utterly disregarding physical rules, are accepted (this is a thing which is typical also of other movies of the same genre, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or House of the flying dagger): The warriors dancing in mid-air (or walking on water) and the graceful movements of the swords (devoid of bloodshed) are a joy for the eye and keep you really focused on the screen.

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• The way of the sword: Martial arts aren't used in Yimou's work to create high-adrenaline sequences. Combat training becomes a commitment that must be built up over time and with a great deal of dedication. We concentrate on sword art, which entails not only the development of certain technical abilities but also access to a deeper dimension endowed with its own spirit, which is linked to elements such as patience, perseverance, and self-control. The main characters, decide to downsize themselves in the service of the ultimate meaning of sacrifice as a cathartic act and mandatory passage to redeem themselves and lead the continent to salvation.

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Conclusion

A great movie, which must not be limited to a single genre, i.e. martial arts, because it is much more than that. Hero is a masterpiece from a great director and must be watched without any preconception. It provides a different way to tell a story, looking at it from different points of view.
The action events in the movie are repeated and retold until they have accumulated enough details to arrange the reality-lies dichotomy on several levels. And this is only one of the features which make this movie a great one. So I definitely recommend you watch it.

Rating

My personal vote is:

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8.5/10

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