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Published on Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - 5:51am |
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A look at HERO!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... Seems the lucky folks in Palm Springs got an early look at HERO on the big screen and I'm jealous. Having met several of the people that worked on HERO while I was in China, and hearing about some of the battles and the sheer scope of the picture... I just need to see it bad. Here ya go...
I was lucky enough to catch the first North American public screening of
Zhang Yimou's Hero this evening at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It's hard
for me to put into words just how amazing this film is.
To keep it simple--the story takes place over 2000 years ago where Jet Li is
Nameless, an assassin who has crafted a way to kill the King of Qin by faking
the deaths of some of the king's greatest enemies. Only the King is on to
Nameless' scheme and this confrontation is the centerpiece for a
Rashamon-like story focusing on the people Nameless claimed to have killed or
(mainly Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Donnie Yen and Zhang Ziyi as a student of
Leung's). From here on we see different versions of similar events, each
version told in it's own color--so we see many of the same scenes, sets and
costumes numerous times, each in a different color.
While Hero is definitley light on story, it is basically 95 minutes of sword
and arrow-play. Each set-piece builds on what came before it and every single
one of them is done to perfection. I don't think there will be a single
review from any website or newspaper that will not include a comparison to
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but it's definatly because of that film that
Hero can be seen in the states. Yes, there's a lot of gravity-defying fights
and while CTHD definatley works better in the story and character department,
this is a far more ambitious effort, especially when it comes to a
straight-forward action film, which is what Hero is. Those who wanted less
musing and more fighting are going to get exactly what they want this time. I
don't think there is more then a 5 minute break between ANY action sequence,
and the short running time makes sure things are always moving.
But all of this would have been in vein had it not been for Chris Doyle's
astounding cinematography. Hero is one of the most vivid films ever shot and
coming on the heels of Conrad Hall's passing, it's nice to know that there
are others out there that go above and beyond the call of duty and become a
true master of the motion picture frame. This is the kind of cinematic imagry
that people are going to look at for years to come.
Hero is already a hit in Asia, I hope Miramax comes to it's senses and
relelases it here soon. I mean, for crying out loud, it was nominated for
Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes WITHOUT any advertising campaign
whatsoever and a handful of industry screenings, if that much. Everyone will
get their chance to see it, I just hope it's sooner rather then later.
Wang Yi, The Idiot
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Reader Talkback
Wow! Hey, pardon me a sec
while I--
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz by LlGHTST0RMER | Jan 15th, 2003 04:54:06 AM | Damn that sounds cool by Lone | Jan 15th, 2003 05:13:14 AM | Please release this soon: by DOGSOUP | Jan 15th, 2003 05:15:57 AM | never liked subject lins by ph27 | Jan 15th, 2003 05:20:34 AM | X-files by ph27 | Jan 15th, 2003 05:24:42 AM | How many ways can one misspell
"definitely"? by Huneybee | Jan 15th, 2003 08:20:27 AM | Same old, same old. by WeedyMcSmokey | Jan 15th, 2003 09:20:28 AM | Ah yeah, this is that thing
that's been real controversial
in Ch by Chilli Kramer | Jan 15th, 2003 09:48:24 AM | Top-notch by Buck_Turgidson | Jan 15th, 2003 10:09:22 AM | DAMMIT! I have a press pass to
the Palm Springs Film Festival
an by Heckles | Jan 15th, 2003 12:18:54 PM | The best film Akira Kurosawa
never made by Cuchulain | Jan 15th, 2003 12:56:03 PM | Thank you, Cuchulain by Huneybee | Jan 15th, 2003 02:09:34 PM | CHILLI KRAMER you`re totally
right by drjones | Jan 15th, 2003 02:26:51 PM | The people associated with
this makes it interesting
but... by GrandoCalrissian | Jan 15th, 2003 06:34:45 PM | what? Jet Li in a film without
a Rapper? Can it be so? by Manaqua | Jan 15th, 2003 06:37:15 PM | To live is one of my favorite
films ever... by jackburtonlives | Jan 15th, 2003 08:42:53 PM | Hero is out on dvd this
feburary anways and this
wasn't the only by Kampbell-Kid | Jan 15th, 2003 08:53:21 PM | a beautiful movie by Celestial | Jan 15th, 2003 09:08:34 PM | by Celestial | Jan 15th, 2003 09:14:32 PM | I saw Hero a while back... by Super Mendez | Jan 15th, 2003 09:21:27 PM | whoops, wrong "Hero" by Super Mendez | Jan 15th, 2003 09:24:27 PM | am I the only one who thinks
bitching about spelling is
pointles by JackLint | Jan 15th, 2003 10:25:42 PM | emperor and the assassin by DarkWingDragon | Jan 15th, 2003 10:49:59 PM | Chinese film overrated? by Rondo | Jan 15th, 2003 11:38:15 PM | I give you two words, Tian Xia
( All under heaven) by ardon | Jan 16th, 2003 12:52:19 AM | from the Motherland by skittles | Jan 16th, 2003 08:40:09 AM | Phony review by lewy | Jan 16th, 2003 11:20:24 AM | RE: Not really light on
story... by hensl | Jan 17th, 2003 08:56:22 PM | hero? by marc7ben | Jan 18th, 2003 06:57:59 AM | hero by lilygirl | Jan 29th, 2003 01:56:44 AM | Movie still from Hero? by twolittleducks | Feb 16th, 2003 05:27:45 AM |
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