Hero
This is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. The cinematography is phenomenal. Of course, even beautiful cinematography can’t give you a truly beautiful movie (The Horse Whisperer. . . .). The characters, story and direction of this are also stunning.
The story takes place during the time of the 5 kingdoms in China. One king, the ruler of the Qin empire (later to be emperor Ying Zheng), has a vision to unify China by conquering the other kingdoms. This, of course, engenders rage, bitterness and vengeance against him as the other kingdoms don’t necessarily wish to be unified. In particular are the three most famous assassins from the Zhao kingdom: Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow. As the story begins, we meet a prefect called Nameless who has apparently defeated the three assassins and is traveling to an audience with the king of Qin. When he arrives at the palace, the king asks him to recount his story, finding it hard to believe that a mere prefect could have defeated three well-studied assassins. The story progresses in flashbacks, each flashback beautifully distinguished by a different color scheme: lighting, costumes and set pieces. Each story enlightening the audience with more and more of the truth.
Although the central theme of the story concerns the unification of China (thus not truly universal), the ideas of willingness to die for a belief, of sacrificing for the good of all, of a true warrior knowing the ultimate goal is to be able to lay down the sword are touching and applicable to all. And the sheer beauty of the film is overwhelming. The fight sequences are precise, tao-filled and beautifully choreagraphed. It is a very Eastern film, so be prepared for that. (non suspension-of-disbelief-ers may not really appreciate it) Although it is reminiscent of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it is also very different. You know what, just go see it.