Hero Distributor: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Format: Region 2 (PAL) Length: 95 min. Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audio: Mandarin, English (dubbed) Subtitles: English Extras: Inside The Action Conversation With Quentin Tarantino And Jet Li; Hero Defined; Storyboards Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Director: Zhang Yimou; Producer: Zhang Yimou, William Kong Chi-keung; Script: Zhang Yimou, Li Feng, Wang Bin; Action Director: Tony Ching Siu-tung; Cast: Jet Li Lian-jie, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk, Chen Dao-ming, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen Chi-tan.

Alternative Titles: Jet Li's Hero

Trailer: Click below to view the trailer for Hero.

Hero is a monumental picture, a lot like looking at a King Hu movie through a kaleidoscope.

Chinese art director Zhang Yimou brings together an ensemble cast of exquisite talent to create a period martial arts tale of epic proportions, scouring the land for the most breathtaking visuals ever captured on celluloid. Yimou is relentless in his perfection of mise-en-scene that at times the film is quite overwhelming, and a small screen can never do it justice.

Hero is the story of China’s first Emperor, Lord Qin, and his unification of the seven kingdoms. The Emperor faces assassination at every turn, and superior swordsman Nameless (Jet) is brought in to protect him, detailing in a series of flashbacks his tale of how he quashed a rebellious attack engineered by Broken Sword (Tony Leung) and his wife Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung).

Lord Qin, however, has contrasting ideas on the plight of his nameless warrior, and a series of subjective narratives are set up and told through jaded flashbacks, until fathoming the truth only leads the audience in circles.

Yimou bathes each retrospect with adequate shades of varying colour as to not confuse the viewer, so we see Broken Sword duel majestically with Lord Qin in a cavalcade of luscious green, while yellow autumn leaves are magnetically jostled via the mind control of master swordsmiths Flying Snow and her female servant Moon (Zhang Ziyi), both wearing striking red garments.

The film is not really about the pursuit of truth, but rather focuses on love, honour, and restraint during a chaotic period of China’s history.

To further this awe inspiring experience, the classy action scenes couple the visuals in their truly remarkable aplomb, choreographed by wirework maestro Tony Ching Siu-tung who directs Jet Li and Donnie Yen in a rain drenched sabre set piece near the movie’s start, and another classic sequence, where Jet and Tony Leung glide across a still lake with all the balletic grace of a bird in flight.

With Miramax and Quentin Taratino's backing, Hero was launched in the States as another Crouching Tiger, but there is so much to distinguish the two.

You will need time to recover after watching this tremendous film.