Hero

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 08 27 (USA)

UPC: 031398137566

Summary: Hero is two-time Academy Award nominee Zhang Yimou's directorial attempt at exploring the concept of a Chinese hero. During the peak of their Warring States period, China was divided into seven kingdoms all fighting for supremacy. Most determined to dominate China was the kingdom of Qin, whose king (Chen Daoming) was wholly obsessed with becoming the first emperor of China. Though he was an assassination target for many, none of his would-be killers inspired as much fear as the legendary assassins Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen). In hopes of thwarting his death, the king has promised endless wealth and power to anyone who defeats his would-be murderers. No results come until ten years later, when a man called Nameless (Jet Li) brings the weapons of the three assassins to the Qin king's palace. Nameless claims to be an expert swordsman who had defeated Sky and destroyed the famed duo of Flying Snow and Broken Sword by using their love for one another against them. Once Nameless comes face to face with the king, however, it looks as if the situation is more complicated than he had thought. Also featured in Hero is actress Zhang Ziyi (The Road Home, Crouching Tiger, Hiden Dragon) as Broken Sword's devoted servant, Moon. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Category: Historical Film

Awards: Best Foreign Language Film – null Best Picture – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Action Choreography – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Cinematography – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Music – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Sound – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Director – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Editing – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Editing – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Supporting Actress – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Song – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Screenplay – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Screenplay – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Screenplay – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Art Direction – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Art Direction – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Costumes/Make-Up – Hong Kong Film Awards Best Foreign Language Film – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Alfred Bauer Prize – Berlin International Film Festival Best Foreign Language Film – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director – National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography (Runner-up) – National Society of Film Critics Best Cinematography – New York Film Critics Circle Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Hero

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 04/15/2011

Audio: DHMA null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 99 Minutes

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: French,Spanish

Skyler Miller

Highlighted by a pageant of breathtaking images, Zhang Yimou's exhilarating Hero is at once an epic historical tale, a rousing action movie, and an intimate romance. Comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will be inevitable for Western audiences, and while the two films share a similarly romantic take on the "wuxia" genre of gravity-defying, sword-wielding heroes, the faster-paced Hero has a harder edge and clearer focus. The brisk running time compresses what could have been a sprawling story into a lean narrative that rarely pauses for breath as it accelerates toward a gripping finale. Real emotion and passion is evoked through the powerful relationship between Broken Sword and Flying Snow (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung), and even a minor character like Moon (Zhang Ziyi) has a memorable presence. The flashback structure, which finds Jet Li and Chen Daoming engaging in a storytelling t?te-?-t?te, is handled with such confidence that there's never any confusion as the story slips in and out of the past and present. Much of the credit for this goes to the film's amazing use of color, which not only distinguishes the various stories from one another but also serves as the underlying force behind the vibrant imagery. With its beautiful cinematography, dazzling combat sequences, and moving love story, Hero is the rare epic that manages to be intensely personal. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Zhang Yimou  Director 
Zhang Yimou  Producer 
Zhang Yimou  Screenwriter 
Zhang Weiping  Executive Producer 
Tan Dun  Composer (Music Score) 
Bill Kong  Producer 
Dou Shoufang  Executive Producer 
Li Feng  Executive Producer 
Li Feng  Screenwriter 
Wang Bin  Executive Producer 
Wang Bin  Screenwriter 
Jet Li  Actor 
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai  Actor 
Maggie Cheung  Actor 
Chen Daoming  Actor 
Zhang Ziyi  Actor 
Donnie Yen  Actor 

Country: China,Hong Kong