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Hero

Hero

2002
Romance, Drama
2h 0m
The time: two thousand years ago. The place: the violent dawn of the Qin dynasty. The story: the soon-to-be First Emperor of China is on the brink of conquering a war-torn land. Three opponents are determined to assassinate him and one loyal subject stands in their way. (Miramax)
Your probable score
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Hero

2002
Romance, Drama
2h 0m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.7% from 7811 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(7811)
Compact view
Compact view
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
59th
Looks absolutely fantastic (even better than Crouching Tiger), and has an interesting narrative structure and matching color scheme. But the story seems fairly artificial and not all that interesting.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
94
96th
A stunningly beautiful movie with an interesting plot. The color schemes really sold this one for me.
Rated 18 Jan 2008
1
6th
It tries to be something epic and poetic, but really it's just artificial and silly. Occasionally it achieves a moment of visual brilliance, but that's the only compliment I've got for it (and I think it's mostly overrated in that department anyway). The story is boring, and its structure is pretty horrible. As it goes on it tries to reveal that the characters have more emotional motivation than you first realized, but still I couldn't care less.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
8
93rd
My favorite of the recent string of overly lushly filmed Chinese martial arts super-epics. The story is deceptively shallow, but here's the thing: it's absolutely gorgeous. The use of color, the art direction, the epic sets, the flowing kinetic motion in the fight and action scenes, holy fucking wow does it look amazing. It also doesn't hurt that the fight scenes rock my cock.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
56th
Hero is one of those movies that was way too short. I was expecting a three-hour epic from what I heard about the movie's plot. I didn't think the Rashomon-rip style of story-telling was done effectively, and although I enjoyed the way they defined a true hero (basically mocking off American film's version of one), it was anti-climactic. But beautiful fight scenes keep the score up.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
25th
Disappointing. I had high hopes -- a wuxia movie directed by Zhang Yimou with a great cast. There were scenes of exquisite beauty (especially in the color palettes), and a couple of good fight scenes, but on the whole it was all rather boring. Oh well.
Rated 28 May 2008
92
83rd
Modern visual poetry. If you can appreciate good choreography in a martial arts movie, and a Kurosawa inspired story, this one is recommended.
Rated 10 Jan 2009
100
98th
So beautiful and illustrious it's almost impossible to breathe through.
Rated 30 Jan 2007
89
85th
Hero is elegant and full of great action. The story is great, and the whole movie is quite breathtaking. Really good!
Rated 17 Feb 2007
70
39th
The main selling point here is of course the imagery. It's absolutely beautiful. The story isn't the best, but it didn't ruin the experience for me, and neither did the acting. It got tedious in parts, though.
Rated 27 Feb 2007
68
49th
Visually stunning film but I'm simply tired of such much over the top wire-fu.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
65
33rd
This art-style and subject matter is a little tired and Hero does nothing to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
96
93rd
Simply beautiful. The colors!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
Gorgeous, with a great story that unfolds in layers. Plus, some amazing fantasy martial arts sequences. Donnie Yen vs Jet Li is a rare treat.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
53rd
Excellent choreography and story, but I felt like I was simply watching a tribute to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a new plot and characters.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
91st
Very good action film that tends to fill the gaps between action sequences with interesting scenes.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
92nd
Absolutely amazing camera! Wow
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
53rd
Lots of flash, no substance.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
73
62nd
I'll admit it, in the midst of all the flashbacks/pseudo flashbacks, I was getting confused. But when the movie finally got through all of it, and I had a firm grasp on what was going on, I found a good movie. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a good experience nevertheless.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
98th
This is THE WAY greatest movies of all times are made. Biggest and the most expensive Chinesse film ever. And if it was hollywood's most exensive it would be definatelly crap. Great story, fabulous acting, scenography fascinating, directing perfect. bravo! Touching and beautiful, extremelly beautiful. Way to go China!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
26th
The problem with hero, is that it tries to force-feed its view on the beuty of battle to the crowd. One becomes weery pretty quickly from the close-ups one leafs during swordfights.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
61
40th
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Rated 17 Sep 2007
87
81st
Beautiful visuals - just flies you through some of the most amazing scenes ever seen.
Rated 23 Feb 2008
95
92nd
Arguably the greatest of the Chinese martial arts fantasy films, loosely based on actual history, very well acted & exceptionally photographed. An absolute visual revelation, & one of the best films of any kind so far this century.
Rated 06 May 2008
81
61st
I don't usually have a thing for Kung-Fu movies but something about this movie appealed to me. The story is very moving and complex. The visuals are all mind blowing. I look forward to more Kung-Fu movies of this kind over the usual beat-em-up style.
Rated 23 Aug 2008
94
95th
Art Direction is simply phenomenal.
Rated 24 Sep 2008
65
22nd
Like a beautiful woman with no conversation and an annoying laugh. This is a lovingly made picture that feels slow and wooden.
Rated 01 Jun 2009
78
27th
Great kung-fu. Terrible ending. But that was the point. Don't agree with the philosophy.
Rated 23 Aug 2009
90
90th
I love how this movie manages to build itself around a simple but profound concept. Visually about as entertaining as it gets, the soundtrack is great, and the story is surprisingly good.
Rated 19 Dec 2009
70
48th
Starts off with silly hats, people flying around fighting, but then it shows there is actually a story and maybe even a moral in the whole thing.
Rated 19 Jan 2010
40
33rd
It's interesting if you look at it as a communist propaganda epic. Not much else happening besides a lot of billowing curtains.
Rated 25 Jan 2010
85
92nd
Zhang takes the flawed narrative and creates a grandiose dramatic story of recruiting warriors to assassinate the first emperor of China. Everything about this is supposed to represent a dream like mythical story of the past rather than a portrayal of reality. Zhang probably received inspiration from traditional scroll art to weave a living and breathing painting with his mastery over visual effects and color. Quite simply a beautiful and interesting story.
Rated 01 Jul 2010
80
22nd
Visual poetry. Gorgeous cinematography and framing of scenes. Good Music. Good acting (esp the younger actress). But some actors were a bit dramatic at places. In a few scenes I was smiling, when I was not supposed to. Too much flying via invisible ropes that it was ridiculous at times. The entire film is a bit too long for my taste. But a worthy effort that I guess can be enjoyed better on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Rated 07 Mar 2011
82
92nd
I found this to be an incredibly beautiful film.The use of color not only adds a distinctive flair but it is also part of the story.The frequent fight scenes while not realistic have a very fluid and graceful look to them and are well choreographed.The icing on the cake for me was the well done and layered story that kept me engaged and thinking by the end about the subtle ways we twist the truth and use events and people to further are own ends.
Rated 05 May 2011
85
93rd
A spectacular and extravagantly ridiculous martial arts epic, "Ying xiong" is one of the most visually stimulating and over-the-top films ever made. The fighting scenes are even more handsome than those in "Wo hu cang long" and emotional resonance is achieved thanks to some very fine acting. The conventional story is unconventionally told, using multiple layers. Zhang's direction is remarkable. When it comes to pure spectacle, few films can compete this in terms of sheer visceral glee.
Rated 19 Jul 2011
95
88th
A sumptuous movie that'll excite your eyes if not your heart.
Rated 04 Dec 2011
71
67th
Hero is (often) breathtakingly beautiful, and worthy viewing just for that. The story, however, feels empty and strangely artificial, with its Rashomon-like structure never quite working, the different perspectives it offers later dismissed as weightless fantasies. It could be a comment on how time shapes legends and myths, leaving us with only a shadow of the truth, but it's ultimately a disservice to the characters who are never fleshed out enough for us to grasp the gravity of their decisions
Rated 15 Jun 2012
87
90th
Blows you away with the stellar imagery and awesome set pieces all captured with graceful camerawork. Great use of color.
Rated 29 Jul 2012
85
78th
A visually stunning film with excellent performances from the cast and a compelling story.
Rated 27 Jan 2013
100
92nd
A masterpiece. Brilliant and beautiful. Visually stunning. Emotionally powerful. Action packed. Excellently choreographed. An epic retelling of a legendary piece of Chinese culture and history.
Rated 06 May 2013
82
93rd
One of the most stunning and beautiful films I've ever seen. Even after I watched it repeatedly over some years it doesn't loose its magic. And I don't even mention the awesome people-fighting-in-mid-air-jumping-ridiculously-far-and-high-Hong-Kong-movie-style. It's the way the scenese are shot, the story is told and the costumes are chosen. Add Hong Kong's top actors at that time and you have 1,5 hours of pure pleasure.
Rated 13 Apr 2019
78
55th
An exquisitely filmed and designed epic with a coldly mechanical plot grinding away; the superb technical elements, including a striking and inventive use of colour to distinguish the competing narratives, make you wish Yimou could tell this story with a little more genuine passion; stoic performances by most of the cast, save Cheung, don't help in this regard. There's still plenty to luxuriate in, including the genuinely staggering epic sweep Yimou brings to his battle scenes.
Rated 25 Oct 2021
15
3rd
O kadar saçmalık, propaganda ve gereksiz şiirsellik dolu ki film bitince omzumda buzdolabı taşımış gibi hissettim adamlar kalkıp 90 vermiş. Nasıl olabilir ya nasıl.
Rated 24 Dec 2006
85
67th
Stunningly gorgeous.
Rated 26 Jan 2007
74
22nd
It's like a hollywoodized crouching tiger, hidden dragon. Which is kind of funny, if you think about it.
Rated 19 Feb 2007
75
37th
Visually stunning, if not anything else.
Rated 22 Feb 2007
100
97th
i dont think enough people understand this movie...amazing script...perfect metaphors...fuckin love it
Rated 24 Feb 2007
80
63rd
Brilliantly retells the same story from varying persepectives and shows these perspectives through the uses of different colors. While the idea is novel it does cause the movie to become a tad repetitive however not enough so to hurt the movie in any substantial way.
Rated 26 Feb 2007
85
85th
One of the great foreign films. Not too overly popularized like Crouching Tiger, yet not so underground that you don't hear about it. The story line is compelling, the use of colors to represent differing storyline is genius, and the battles are both elegant and deadly. Also the film is done more justice by watching is with subtitles as opposed to dubbed over English.
Rated 07 Mar 2007
71
62nd
Although I found it to be one of the better films of the past year, considering its lofty ambitions, it's still a bit hard not to consider this a bit of a disappointment.
Rated 14 Mar 2007
90
85th
Drama, Honor and Beautiful Landscape
Rated 01 Apr 2007
80
57th
Not a terribly interesting movie but the cinematography and direction was beautifully done.
Rated 20 Apr 2007
70
38th
The story isn't so interesting but the visuals are stunning.
Rated 25 Apr 2007
84
76th
Actually quite interesting and beautifully shot. Not too many surprises, but an excellent martial arts fantasy film.
Rated 28 Apr 2007
91
90th
Chinese propaganda never tasted so good
Rated 12 May 2007
95
99th
9+ amazing :: I found myself thinking "Wow, that was cool." several times while I watched. Seriously.
Rated 26 May 2007
65
62nd
Another Jet movie.
Rated 28 May 2007
85
76th
Works very, very hard to be an overarching statement, but beautifully shot and choreographed. Donnie Yen's short scene seals the deal for me.
Rated 14 Jun 2007
85
73rd
Stunning imagery, but unsettling in its final message of how the greater good should be achieved.
Rated 12 Jul 2007
95
93rd
I really like this movie; another by the makers of Crouching Tiger.
Rated 20 Jul 2007
60
60th
It put all its eggs in the pretty basket.
Rated 05 Aug 2007
80
80th
Beautifully shot, well-acted
Rated 07 Aug 2007
83
85th
Zhang Yimou's first and best wuxia martial arts film, though not his best film. Vibrant color design and a plot design lifted from Rashomon elevate it, but its political views are controversial. Interesting.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
59th
gorgeous and heartbreaking at times. i know some folks take a lot of offense to political statements, but it meant little to me in the face of such beauty.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
85th
An epic and beautiful story set in ancient China. One of the best martial art movies of all time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
83
77th
In my opinion, slightly better than House of Flying Daggers, about comparable to Crouching Tiger. Rather convoluted story, though.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
90th
A beautiful story with great imagry
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
63rd
a great artistic foreight film
Rated 14 Aug 2007
88
95th
This film has a great story and is beautifully shot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
37th
Beautiful ! Moving. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung forever.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
57th
A beautiful movie that vastly outclasses Crouching Tiger.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
Beautiful cinematography to go with a humbling story.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
58th
Try tripping balls while watching this movie. Oh yeah.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
50
29th
looks impressive, but struck me as being shallow.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
79
64th
Boy, did this movie bring the pretty. Lovely to look at if a little....epheremal. Liked it just about as much as I like cotton candy (which, really, is a lot).
Rated 14 Aug 2007
79
75th
Hated it the first time, Loved it the 2nd
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
40th
I decided I'd boycott movies that Terentino says he has something to do with but he really doesn't, but this one's an exception, well done movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
96
88th
Amazing use of color to tell the story...this is a beautiful film, and if you follow what I like, you know I like films that are pretty...who cares about the plot...but this has everything...plot, twists, color, beauty...you can't take your eyes from the screen.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
28th
Overrated. Really pretty, but Zhang Ziyi really sucked in this for some reason. The romances were boring; I didn't care what happened.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
90th
Beautiful movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
97th
IMHO, Jet Li's finest moment. A truly beautiful movie in every way. From the plot, to the acting, to the amazing martial arts.. this is about as perfect as a wuxia film can get.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
89th
Some of the most beautiful cinematography you'll find in any movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
80th
The Politics are a bit disturbing, but it's a top film, beautifully shot, yadda yadda. Tony Leung is astonishing.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
87th
Okay... this wasn't what I was expecting when I originally went to see it, but I ended up being very impressed by the end of it. Yes, it's a Jet Li film so yes, there's some seriously kick-ass martial arts... but the main spin on this film is very artsy/dramatic. Keep that in mind before you get half way through and are like "wtf mate?" Still... the artsy stuff was absolutely amazing, and the director/writer/cinematographer for this film did phenomenal jobs.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
51st
I loved the style of this movie. The story was a bit questionable and from what I hear was a political statement in China. But the color and action is beautifully portrayed. I may not completely understand this movie but it was great to watch. I love the scene where they fight in their minds.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
91st
Action, intelligence and and endingthat breaks your heart while instilling a worthy moral... Hard to do... But done well.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
40th
Great fight scenes, lame story.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
41st
Another boring, overly long entry into the land of backflips and floating around like a fairy. If you've seen Crouching Tiger or Flying Daggers, you've seen Hero.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
55
49th
Good film.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
67th
Excellent chinese epic. Finally Jet-Li makes a really good movie. Keep trying...
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
60th
Speechless...
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
89th
Very 'hollywood' style asian action movie, making the genre more accessible to the Western crowd. Good movie if you just like action movies, awesome movie if you like Asian action movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
66th
Some pretty incredible sequences but too over the top. Story was very tight.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
88th
Stunningly beautiful.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
10th
Gorgeous. Thats about it. The entire plot is based around continual retellings of the same story, which gets old since each new telling only offers you slightly more than the last. Seemed artificially long. Also, totally mediocre acting.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
51st
Enjoyable action/martial arts film. Doesn't reach the profound plateau the filmmakers seem to have sought, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
82nd
Gorgeous, moving, enthralling, I love this movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
72
75th
As far as celebrating the ideals of eastern culture, this movie does a great job. It begins in a rediculously fantastic sense, but gets better and less fantastic as the movie moves on.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
64th
Wow, really really interesting. So much beautiful imagery through things like colours and the plot is so so much more intelligent than I had expected. With a style reminiscent of Pulp Fiction, it's only really some dodgy looking special effects that hold it back a bit. Well worth a look if you fancy something a bit different.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
82nd
What was the story? Who cares when the film is so visually-stunning

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