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Hero

Play trailer Poster for Hero PG-13 Released Aug 27, 2004 1h 33m Action History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 209 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
In this visually arresting martial arts epic set in ancient China, an unnamed fighter (Jet Li) is being honored for defeating three of the king's most dangerous enemies. When Nameless recounts his battles with the assassins -- Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) and Moon (Zhang Ziyi) -- the king begins to question some of the details. As Nameless goes on, the king challenges the tales, interjecting his own take on these perhaps suspect version of events.
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Hero

Hero

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Critics Consensus

With death-defying action sequences and epic historic sweep, Hero offers everything a martial arts fan could ask for.

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Critics Reviews

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Terry Nguyen Vox Through the film's striking use of color and landscape, combined with its riveting action sequences, it goes beyond the chronological constraints of a typical blockbuster film. Oct 8, 2021 Full Review Christopher Orr The New Republic Until the final 15 minutes of its deceptively short hour-and-a-half running time, Hero is a marvel, one of the best films to be released in the United States this year. It concludes, however, on a note both emotionally unsatisfying and morally idiotic. Jan 5, 2018 Full Review Joanne Kaufman Wall Street Journal As they move through the martial-arts sequences, the performers leave the impression that the laws of gravity are subject to amendment. The rules of love and war -- all's fair -- are, Hero makes clear, immutable. Mar 18, 2014 Full Review Joshua Polanski In Review Online The sum of Hero’s collaborative artistry asserts itself as one of the most winsome and graceful moving pictures of the 21st century. Hero is a film worth celebrating. Sep 8, 2024 Full Review Sean Collier Box Office Prophets A tremendously entertaining and visually rich spectacle. Rated: 9/10 Jun 26, 2021 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site The drama and ideas are not sufficiently compelling to sustain the martial arts. Inevitably the fighting becomes a thing in itself, a mere tour de force and loses interest. Feb 15, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Petros T The photography and aesthetics are dazzling, the big-scale setpieces are impressive (the sequence with the arrows in particular is fantastic), and some of the fight scenes (e.g. the lake one) are actually all about storytelling and characters. In truth, it's a very stylized film (the wire work gets a bit much and even the plot becomes a tad gimmicky), which can be slightly off-putting, but the craftsmanship on display is undeniable and is paired with interesting themes and a touching conclusion. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/19/24 Full Review Audience Member A master piece… period. No need to describe just rush to watch this movie. Watched already 10 times Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/12/24 Full Review Alec B Love the colorful Rashomon-style narrative. The anticlimactic ending, while initially frustrating, ultimately makes sense given the character's choices. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review Pallas K I recently watched a fantastic movie starring Jet Li, and it was a work of art. The martial arts scenes were particularly special, not like the usual stuff you see all the time. The atmosphere in those scenes was exciting, and the choreography was more like art than crude action. Although the laws of physics may have been ignored, the story was still deep, meaningful, dramatic, and captivating. It even made me cry a little. Overall, it was an excellent movie that I highly recommend. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/24 Full Review Dan L Great movie, Jet Li at his finest! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review Layhs D Achei muito joia, um filme ideal para crianças adolescentes e adultos, mistura realidade com ficção de uma forma fácil de entender, indico muito!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In this visually arresting martial arts epic set in ancient China, an unnamed fighter (Jet Li) is being honored for defeating three of the king's most dangerous enemies. When Nameless recounts his battles with the assassins -- Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) and Moon (Zhang Ziyi) -- the king begins to question some of the details. As Nameless goes on, the king challenges the tales, interjecting his own take on these perhaps suspect version of events.
Director
Yimou Zhang
Producer
Yimou Zhang, William Kong
Screenwriter
Yimou Zhang, Li Feng, Wang Bin
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Beijing New Picture Film Co.
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Action, History, Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 27, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.6M
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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