A 'Hero' for late summer doldrums

Throw "Rahomon" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" into a blender, hit puree and what do you get?: "Hero," the 2002 offering from Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (best known for beautifully-crafted character pieces such as "Raise the Red Lantern," "Shanghai Triad" and "The Road Home"). Unfortunately, it took the intervention of "presenter" Quentin Tarantino to get "Hero" released stateside, but better that than allowing the film to languish on Miramax's shelves for another few years, as it's the rarest of creative endeavors: the intimate epic.\nJet Li stars as Nameless, yet another in the long line of anonymous avengers often seen in action cinema (think Clint Eastwood's The Man with No Name or Uma Thurman's The Bride). The movie opens on Nameless ascending upon the imperial court of the loathsome King of Qin (Chen Dao Ming) amid thousands of foot soldiers. Qin seeks to unite all of China in hopes of eradicating skirmishes among warring villages, but more so to develop a national superpower. As the prologue suggests, those who don't fall in line with Qin's agenda shall fall under his guards' swords. Three assassins have vowed to kill their King: Broken Sword (Wong Kar-Wai and John Woo vet Tony Leung), Flying Snow (frequent Jackie Chan collaborator Maggie Cheung) and Long Sky (Donnie Yen, best known to American audiences for turns in "Blade II" and "Shanghai Knights"). Nameless claims to have killed all three and is seeking his just reward. \nInterpretations of the aforementioned murders are offered by Nameless, Qin and even the supposed victims (hence, the parallel to "Rashomon"). With each evaluation Zhang astutely changes his color scheme to convey a particular message or idea in a very painterly manner, i.e. yellow leaves turn red in wake of a stabbing and certain passages are punctuated by a predominance of cool blues, pale greens and sterile whites. The device is fascinating and well-executed, though it may distance viewers from the characters' plights and is likely to confuse denser audiences.\nMany Americans will lump "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger" together, as both are expertly scored by Tan Dun and feature the lovely Zhang Ziyi in a supporting role. Each film also melds romance and martial arts exquisitely. This comparison is both fair and unfair, as the two share similarities while simultaneously being unique. Ultimately, I prefer "Crouching Tiger," if for no other reason than its characters resonate more deeply -- it's more personal than political. Though "Hero" seen simply as a cinematic exercise and "hiyaah!" highlight reel is a resounding success.