Hero (2004)
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 191
Fresh: 181 | Rotten: 10
A sumptuous movie that'll excite your eyes if not your heart.
Average Rating: 8.2/10
Critic Reviews: 40
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 0
A sumptuous movie that'll excite your eyes if not your heart.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 224,981
Movie Info
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
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Cast
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Jet Li
Nameless -
Maggie Cheung
Flying Snow -
Chen Daoming
The King of Qin -
Ziyi Zhang
Moon -
Donnie Yen
Sky -
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Hero Trailer & Photos
All Critics (194) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (181) | Rotten (10) | DVD (42)
Dishes up some of the most extravagant doodling in cinema.
Top CriticI wouldn't have missed this spectacle for the world, and neither should you -- despite an admitted quirk in my political sensibility in these contentious times that keeps me from admiring the film wholeheartedly.
This is a fantastic film.
So deliriously chockablock with high-flying, color-coordinated fight scenes that non-aficionados may find it all a bit bewildering -- a gorgeous abstraction. It sure is gorgeous, though, and it has a dream cast.
It's not too much to say that Hero is one of the most ravishing spectacles the movies have given us.
If martial arts movies have always seemed like musicals with full body contact, Zhang Yimou's Hero is the closest the form has yet come to a full-blown Vincente Minnelli MGM extravaganza.
Gorgeous martial arts movie for older kids.
Zhang weaves a complex and interesting story but the ultimate strength of Hero is its poetic beauty.
When we are not left agog by the pristine production design and costuming, we marvel at the various staged conflicts, each one bringing a new level of proficiency and polish to an already overripe genre.
... one of the best films of its kind and one of the most beautiful films ever made.
In what may be the movie's most spectacular set piece ... Zhang pits the sword against the pen and fends off war with knowledge and non-violence.
Better experienced than discussed -- and better seen two or more times.
While consistently watchable, Yimou's movie is infused with a dirge-like tone...making it a somewhat wearisome and sluggish experience
Each scene is a painting; within those paintings is a ballet of movement, in the guise of wire-aided martial arts.
An assured, loving cinematic tone poem to the martial arts genre.
The film's art direction, fight choreography, music, acting and especially cinematography are top notch, making this a movie I would highly recommend.
Hero is a visual, emotional, and poetic masterpiece.
Strikes a mildly resonant chord.
The crisp photography makes the movie what it is. The camera catches the beauty and devastation of each scene with a sharpness that rivals the greatest works in cinema history
'Poética y sobrecogedora, es una obra de arte que nadie que ame el cine puede dejar de ver'
Héroe no sería todo lo interesante que es sino estuviera filmada de la manera como está filmada.
A silly and bloated fable that takes itself too seriously.
Chagall Martial Arts
Shot for shot, frame for frame, beat for beat, this could very well be one of the most gorgeous films ever made.
The simple fact of the matter is this: Hero is the best martial arts movie I have ever seen.
Audience Reviews for Hero
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- The King of Qin: What words did Broken Sword write?
- Nameless: Our land.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Morally corrupt "moral of the story" | 3 months ago | 0 |
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Featured
Movie: ID: 10038 Title: Hero Release Date: 2004-08-27 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Hero (DE)
- Hero (Ying xiong) (CA)
