Product Information
Zhang Yimou, the director of such Chinese epics as RED SORGHUM, RAISE THE RED LANTERN, JU DOU, and SHANGHAI TRIAD, takes his first stab at a period martial arts film and succeeds wildly, making an intelligent, carefully crafted drama that pays tribute to the genre while taking it to another level. The story is set 2,000 years ago, during the time of the Warring States, when seven kingdoms were battling for dominance, and one leader--the king of Qin (Chen Dao Ming)--was determined to end up victorious and unite all of China as one nation. The proud king is forced to live trapped alone in his palace as a remarkable trio of villains--Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk), and Sky (Donnie Yen)--are out to kill him. But one day a simple country prefect (Jet Li) shows up, announcing that he has killed all three assassins. Identifying himself as Nameless, the prefect tells in great detail how he got rid of the king's sworn enemies. However, once Nameless is finished, the king has some interesting questions for him, pointing out holes in his tale. The cat-and-mouse story continues as Nameless and the king seek to find out the truth about the assassins and the future of China. Zhang Yimou's marvelous film is enhanced by Christopher Doyle's lush photography, Tan Dunn's percussive score (with Itzhak Perlman adding violin and fiddle), exciting special effects from SHAOLIN SOCCER veteran Tony Ching Siu-Tung, and excellent acting.Product Identifiers
ProducerBill Kong
EAN5017188814140
eBay Product ID (ePID)43388484
Product Key Features
ActorZiyi Zhang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Jet Li
Film/TV TitleHero
DirectorYimou Zhang
LanguageMandarin
Subtitle LanguageEnglish
Run Time95 Mins
Aspect Ratio2.35 Wide Screen
FormatDVD
Release Year2005
FeaturesInside the Action Conversation with Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li\Hero Defined\Storyboards, Widescreen, Closed Caption, With Subtitles
Additional Product Features
Number of Discs1
Certificate12A/12
Country/Region of ManufactureChina
Hearing ImpairedEnglish
ReviewsDaily Telegraph - The most visually ravishing movie of the year., Times UK - Mortal wounds are delivered and received like love letters. Even the plot is a piece of poetry, intensely formal and hopelessly sentimental, The Daily Telegraph - The most visually ravishing movie of the year., Variety - A dazzlingly lensed, highly stylized meditation on heroism and the point at which individualism conflicts with the common good., Empire - You'll be hard pressed to find anything as visually dazzling... ever., Empire Magazine - You'll be hard pressed to find anything as visually dazzling as this in cinemas ever., Uncut - It raises the bar clean out of sight, Time Out - Dishes up some of the most extravagant doodling in cinema.
Additional InformationSet 2,000 years ago, during the time of the Warring States, when seven kingdoms were battling for dominance, and one leader--the king of Qin (Chen Dao Ming)--was determined to end up victorious and unite all of China as one nation. The proud king is forced to live trapped alone in his palace as a remarkable trio of villains--Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk), and Sky (Donnie Yen)--are out to kill him. But one day a simple country prefect (Jet Li) shows up, announcing that he has killed all three assassins. Identifying himself as Nameless, the prefect tells in great detail how he got rid of the king's sworn enemies.
Dubbing LanguagesEnglish
Sound sourceDolby Digital 5.1
Format DescriptionDVD 9
Movie/TV TitleHero