Message from mhogan

[Anonymous]

The popularity of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has opened up a western market for more Chinese-style action films. Hero is one of these. Directed by Quintin Tarantino with star actors Jet Lee, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziya, Chen Dao Ming, and Donnie Yen, it is quite a feast for the eyes. Color and intricately coordinated fight scenes are combined with spectacular music to truly fill the senses.

The story is set in the beginning of the Qin dynasty, where a nameless soldier seeks revenge against the emperor who has massacred his people. Along the way, we see Zhou assassins who would also desire this revenge. The movie mentions the paranoia of Qin as well as the duality of his great accomplishments and brutal methods. From a history teacher's perspective, I think it would have been nice to make these more prominent in the story. Of course, I wouldn't use this movie in my classroom, due to its violence and sexual content. From a historical perspective, I do not find it terribly enlightening. From an artistic perspective I find it truly appealing and delightful.

There is an interesting cultural component though, that may be difficult to comprehend from a western perspective - How can a king order a man to be executed as a criminal and yet buried as a hero?