Hero

Hero is a staggeringly beautiful, mesmerising and thoroughly entertaining martial arts epic, featuring some of the most gorgeous visuals in any film I’ve ever seen, along with some amazing fight choreography. The film’s non linear structure is used to its absolute maximum potential. The flashback sequences take up the majority of the runtime, and are visual representations of the nameless warrior’s recounts of his meetings with 3 assassins that previously attempted to claim the king’s life. Lots of different versions of these events are told, and therefore shown, throughout the film, which is such an interesting way of telling a story in my opinion, and works so much better than I thought it would.  Many of the events we see never actually happen in the reality of the film, with them being lies told by the nameless warrior or (at least partially) incorrect speculation from the king. This storytelling method could make large segments of the film feel pointless or inconsequential, however it works so well for this film, as it allows for many more of the euphoric, impeccably choreographed and gorgeously shot action sequences, which are absolutely the highlight of the film for me.  The film looks absolutely stunning throughout, with the elaborate production design containing so much detail and so many beautiful colours. The sets, costumes, and everything else all look spectacular, but what elevates the already great production design is the cinematography and camera work. The framing is absolutely breathtaking throughout the whole film, and the camerawork - especially during the fights - is just jaw dropping at points.  The visuals of the film are amongst the best I’ve ever seen honestly, with some of the best scenes being the fight on the lake, and a segment where different recounts of an event are shown in flashback form, with the entire colour palette of the sets and costumes all changing for each version of events. The choreography in these scenes, and just the entire movie honestly, is absolutely incredible too. Everything in this film feels so epic and cinematic, and the choreography, score, cinematography and production design all work in perfect harmony to create a true spectacle. A meticulously crafted and perfectly executed film that doesn’t overstay its welcome at under 100 minutes, and accomplishes so much in that time.