Our story does have a hero and here is where the tail begins.  Zhang's movie is set 2,200 years ago, during the reign of the King of Qin (Chen Daoming), the emperor who united China and built the Great Wall. And it's about the three master assassins--Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Sky (Donnie Yen)--who threaten the emperor's life and the nameless hero (Jet Li) who kills them all.  Nameless travels to see the great king to tell about his travels and how he destroyed the three greatest assassins.  Chen Daoming playing the king plays the character as a ruthless and demeaning figure- but underneath that armor lays a fragile old man.  The king wants to know everything about what has happened with Nameless and how this poor little nobody was able to do a really big accomplishment.  He’s at first rewarded with tons of gold and a tiny bit of power.  Power seems to be the hot item for Christmas this year- so keep a look out for it.  Jet Li actually makes the character work and not so much as a character, but more of a metaphor to what it means to be a hero.  How a hero thinks and the duty that lies in such a great burden.  Jet grew out his hair or maybe wore a wig- but his face is transformed to make him more stoic, who knew hair could do that? 

 

The hero tells the story, but the king gets wary when the stories feel like they just don’t make sense- some good lying skills would have come in handy for our hero.  The king deciphers the stories and then comes up with his own idea- it’s like those party games where you start a story and somebody else finishes it.  So we end up seeing the same story told in flashback mode at least four times- with similar conclusions, but with different meanings.  This would seem like a boring old time- but the movie is so captivating that you can’t help, but be impressed and a little in awe. 

 

This movie at its heart is “wire fu” where we get the flying Chinese moves in slow motion.  The battles take place at different venues through out the movie and each is captivating in its own right.  Jet travels to a really cool looking chess center to kick the first assassins butt- here we meet Sky a guy who really likes his chess.  But, leave it up to the Chinese to turn chess into an art form held in a Zen garden like place where water freely flows and falls from everywhere.  Sky then gets interrupted by the police who have come to arrest him- so what does the boy do?  Run fast ala Cops or go head to head with his spear like dagger-  He of course gets to work on kicking major capital punishment ass.  I personally love flying Chinese- the wire work is so breathless and very beautiful.  When done slowly it gives you time to study the actor and the martial artist at once.  The moves are graceful and a little like dance, but not Jazz dance because that would just suck.  Since there seems to be a strong presence of wind in every scene we get long flowy robs for the guys and the same for the gals. 

 

So if your flying through the air with a sword in hand doing slow motion, but being faster than the rain- where it looks like it has stopped and you have some major rob flow, then it has to look good, right? Absolutely- the movie is so free that it feels like little paintings have come to life.  We see emotion and physically challenging moves that feel just so gosh darn powerful.  It doesn’t have the super fast pace threat of “Crouching Tiger hidden Dragon” though this movie doesn’t seem to need it.  Nameless quickly kills Sky by just being better. Sadly we never hear from sky again in any of the other story variations.  Nameless then travels to a little calligraphy school where the lovers Broken Sword and Flying Snow are hanging out.  Here is where the movie takes shape and the production design completely captures and distorts realistic Chinese locations. Each time that the movie tells the story again the colors take on a powerful presence- The first is told in a fiery red, where the color pops and smolders.  The next time it’s told in a calming blue- every last inch of the frame has a light hue.  The blues in the set design and also in the gorgeous costumes make the movie feel more than just your average Kung Fu movie.  From blue we go to a pleasing cream and then a tranquil white- The characters feel different also in each of their new settings.  Broken Sword is played by an amazing man by the name of Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who here is both strong and philosophical.  He is a warrior, but refuses to think that killing the king is a good idea.  He feels that the world encompasses a larger metaphor that isn’t easily answered.  His once lover and always love is played by the impeccable and unbelievable Maggie Cheung.  She is Flying Snow and with the fighting skill to kick the strongest mans ass- she transcends the woman hero.  Her face seems like a porcelain doll come to life and her ability to fly and look good when the wind is blowing is something of sheer astonishment. Snow is something of an agitated hero who believes that the king should be assassinated because his army killed her father, but then wants to live a life of pure piece with no weapons and no martial arts.  But, don’t get me wrong this girl can fly and twirl with dizzying effect.  She swoops and almost single handedly stops the threat of a thousand or so arrows flying through the town at once- doing a tornado like move that seems more like a sweet ballet than a fierce combat move.  Zhang Ziyi also shows up to play an apprentice to Broken Sword and here she shines as Moon.  Zhang Ziyi was of course the raucous young thief in “Crouching Tiger hidden Dragon” showing that women are the best kind of fighters.  She reprises a similar role for this movie, but here she is just a little less in control.  She flies and tumbles with amazing skill and accuracy- Zhang Ziyi will soon be the toast of the Western world.  She is a sensation to watch and has the beauty to carry her athleticism.  When moon and Snow fight in a down pour of leaves the scene is hypnotically entertaining and washed in so many gorgeous colors, that when they soar the scene is art.  The fight sequence that takes place between Nameless and Broken Sword is also the same- they fight on a lake and glide across it barely touching the water and floating like angles.  They are in battle, but when Zhang decides to pull back the camera, the lake and the fighters look peacefully tranquil. 

 

These scenes and battles are completely unrealistic, but the implication here is fantasy and having the power to believe.  The fights are thrilling, exciting, and executed with such sublime artistry that they are what makes this movie better than many before it.  Zhang who has been known mostly for his drama makes his first martial arts feature seem like a breeze- he gives the material the heighten beauty that makes the simplistic story rise above average and give it life. Cinematography has never looked so good and scenes that feel massive in scope are shown perfectly.  What I fell in love with was the colors and pure heart that the movie has for a true artistic view.  In one scene where the battle between the king and Sword plays out like a water ballet set to a stirring orchestra, is inspiring. Beautiful flowing lime green drapes fill an empty large castle and as Broken Sword begins to cut them down the scene turns into a whirlwind of sheer delight.  There is also a massive army in this movie that plays more like a moving set piece that is incredible- major props should be given to costume and production.  There is so much to love about this movie and the world that it creates is one of power and suspense.  Its splendor comes from making the battles seem like passionate pieces of work.  It never comes off pretentious or long- it really just breaths life into a genre that has gone unnoticed for to long.  Hero shows our heroes and villains in different lights, but as much as the movie is about history it is more about a dream world that exists for the sake of what a hero should be.  These are the Hero’s of our dreams and in this world they exist only as noble characters with compassion and honor.