Hero

Beautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza defining the styles and lives of its fighters within Chinese tradition

Director Zhang Yimou brings the sumptuous visual style of his previous films (Raise the Red Lantern, Ju-Dou and Red Sorghum) to the martial arts genre. A nameless lowly functionary arrives at the Emperor’s Palace with three weapons, each belonging to a famous assassin who had sworn to kill the emperor. As the nameless man spins out his story, the emperor presents his own version of events. As the story unfolds each episode is drenched in dominant colour. Hero combines sweeping cinematography and superb performances from the cream of Hong Kong cinema.

Directed and produced by: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung

Run time: 96 minutes

Classification: 12

Zhang Yimou (1950-)

Zhang was born in Xi'an, and during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s he went to work first as a farm labourer for 3 years, and later at a cotton textile mill for 7 years.

Following the abandonment of policies adopted during the Cultural Revolution, the Beijing Film Academy reopened its doors to new students in 1978. Zhang, at 27, was over the regulation age for admission, and was without the prerequisite academic qualifications.
After a personal appeal to the Ministry of Culture, and showing a portfolio of his personal photographic works, the authorities relented and admitted him to the Faculty of Cinematography. Zhang graduated with the class of 1982, who went on to form the core of the 'Fifth Generation' of Chinese filmmakers - part of an artistic reemergence in China after the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990, Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, and Hero in 2003, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Zhang directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, which received considerable international acclaim.