--- title: "Hero" year: 2002 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/hero" fi1m_id: "hero" imdb_id: "tt0299977" tmdb_id: 79 wikidata_id: "Q260379" fi1m_score: 77 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 14 published: "2026-09-14" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:27.467964+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Hero (2002) Directed by Zhang Yimou · 1h 39m · MPA PG-13 · Drama, Adventure, Action, History ## Identity Hero - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/hero - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** hero - **IMDb ID:** tt0299977 - **TMDB ID:** 79 - **Wikidata ID:** Q260379 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/79, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q260379 **Fi1m score: 77** · Critics 70 from 14 reviews *In a sentence:* The sword fights are persuasive enough without asking us to trust the king > Zhang Yimou’s *Hero* is worth seeing for the precision and pleasure of its sword fights. Christopher Doyle’s colour photography gives the action force, though the distant characters and indulgent view of imperial power limit its hold on us. ## Synopsis Martial combat, personal loyalties and imperial power meet in Zhang Yimou’s *Hero*. Jet Li plays Nameless, alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Broken Sword and Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow. Donnie Yen appears as Sky, Zhang Ziyi as Moon and Chen Daoming as the King of Qin. Their story concerns the unification of an empire and the sacrifices demanded in the name of order. Events are presented through differing viewpoints, with shifts of colour distinguishing the accounts. Sword fights carry disputes over loyalty and the use of force, as the fighters’ lives become part of a struggle over how a country should be ruled. ## Review *Hero* is worth an evening for its fighting and its colour, though its account of imperial power needs more resistance than Zhang Yimou gives it. Zhang treats martial combat with the seriousness usually reserved for a state ceremony, and he has the skill to make that seem reasonable. Bodies in flight carry emotion that the dialogue and competing accounts do not always supply. The trouble comes when that same grandeur lends political authority a dignity we are expected to accept. Christopher Doyle’s cinematography gives the colour-coded passages more to do than tell us which account we are watching. A change of palette can make a confrontation feel angrier or more remote before anyone has to explain the difference. Emi Wada’s costumes help make the figures readable within those broad fields of colour. The eye has something clear to follow even when the story asks us to reconsider what we thought we understood. We were exhilarated by the flying fights, because the extravagant changes of direction remain so graceful and legible. Zhang makes the impossible movement worth watching in its own right; we do not spend these encounters simply waiting for someone to land a decisive blow. Production designers Tingxiao Huo and Zhenzhou Yi provide settings that suit this formal approach, giving the combat room to be seen. Their theatricality works better during the fighting than during the personal drama. Jet Li’s Nameless gives the film a steady centre, though his reserve also helps keep us at a distance. Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung, as Broken Sword and Flying Snow, offer the strongest reason to care about the people between the fights. Chen Daoming’s King of Qin belongs comfortably to the film’s stately manner. We can appreciate the discipline of these performances while still wanting a less ceremonious exchange between people with so much at stake. The screenplay by Zhang, Wang Bin and Feng Li keeps asking us to reconsider what we have seen, and the colour changes are useful guides through its competing accounts. The editors, Ru Zhai, Angie Lam On-Yee and Vincent Lee, make individual passages flow, but the returns can interrupt our involvement just as it begins. Tan Dun’s music sustains the ceremonial mood effectively. It also contributes to a sense that almost everything must be momentous. At 99 minutes, the film is brief enough, yet some stretches feel more solemn than their dramatic weight can justify. The political thinking deserves more scrutiny. There is something worth considering in the film’s interest in pacifism, particularly within a genre so dependent on skilled violence. Yet the screenplay moves too readily from the desire to end conflict towards respect for concentrated power, without giving the people subject to it enough weight. We do not need a martial-arts film to draft a constitution, but it should make obedience harder to admire than Zhang does here. Those who dislike airborne swordplay will find little here to change their minds. For anyone who enjoys the genre, Zhang’s control of movement and colour is ample reason to stay, despite the distant storytelling. There is no obligation to accept the political lesson along with the choreography. *Fi1m score 77, published 14 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Hero worth watching?** *Hero* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys airborne swordplay and colour used with real purpose, and we scored it 77. Zhang Yimou’s fights are graceful and legible, and Christopher Doyle’s photography gives them force. The characters stay distant, though, and the film’s admiring view of imperial power asks for more trust than it earns. **How long is Hero, and what is it rated?** *Hero* runs 1h 39m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and adventure film. **Where can I watch Hero in the US?** *Hero* is not on any streaming or rental service in the US at the moment. It is available in 5 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Hero, and is it suitable for children?** *Hero* carries a UK 12 certificate, and its violence is stylised sword fighting rather than gore. The fights are formal and balletic, closer to ceremony than to brutality, so there is little here to frighten a teenager or trouble the squeamish. Younger children may find the solemn pace and shifting accounts harder going than anything on screen. **How does Hero compare to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?** *Hero* is the more austere film, while [*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon) has the warmer heart and the fuller characters. Zhang Yimou’s picture wins on colour and the sheer precision of its combat; Ang Lee’s gives its fighters longing, humour and regret to carry between the fights. We recommend Lee’s film more widely, and Zhang’s to those who prize choreography above company. **What should I watch after Hero?** After *Hero*, try [*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon) (2000, Fi1m 90): For airborne swordplay with more room for longing and regret. Then [*Ran*](https://film.one/film/ran) (1985, Fi1m 92): Another account of power where colour makes organised violence horribly clear; and [*The Assassin*](https://film.one/film/the-assassin) (2015, Fi1m 82): For martial arts stripped of hurry, with silence worth attending to. ### Reviews we read (14) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film beautiful and beguiling, a martial arts extravaganza that defines fighters' styles and lives within Chinese tradition while using a Rashomon-like structure of multiple viewpoints. Zhang Yimou creates a visual poem of extraordinary beauty with spectacular sets, costumes and effects that move the genre into poetry, ballet and philosophy. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hero-2004) - **Slant Magazine** (90/100, inferred): Zhang's film is elliptical and primal, using a Rashomon-like structure and dazzling color-coded sequences to explore history, sensuality, and Taoist principles in a spiritually profound way. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/hero/) - **Total Film** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's sumptuous visuals and breath-catching action, noting how it blends fine art elegance with kinetic punch-ups. They highlight the solid universal story of loyalty, love and sacrifice, along with the ingeniously colour-coded Rashomon-style storytelling and rich performances. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/hero-review/) - **The Times**, James Christopher (85/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as one of the most visually ravishing in recent years, with color-coded retellings of the story and balletic martial arts sequences that make for a rapturous journey. It is presented as a homage to Rashomon with a poetic, formal plot about assassins and an emperor. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/china/hero-hqjd7bs5dh9) - **Screen Daily** (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it an intoxicatingly beautiful, structurally enigmatic and brief epic that will struggle against Crouching Tiger comparisons in the West due to its cold, stately storytelling and lack of sentiment. They single out the breathtaking cinematography by Chris Doyle and the inventive fight choreography. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/hero/4011709.article) - **Empire**, Adam Smith (70/100, inferred): The critic calls Hero the real deal compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, praising its breathtaking visuals, balletic fight sequences and colour-drenched cinematography by Christopher Doyle. The plot is seen as a minor weakness, flimsy and overly simplistic despite an intriguing political subtext. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hero-review/) - **Evening Standard**, Derek Malcolm (70/100, inferred): The review highlights Hero as a visually spectacular and popular hit with stunning action, star power and impressive cinematography, though the complicated story and apparent endorsement of totalitarianism are noted as drawbacks. It positions the film as a colourful, balletic spectacle ready for Western audiences. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/allconquering-hero-7382340.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's artistic sophistication and formal beauty as one of the most visually stunning martial arts films, crediting director Zhang Yimou and cinematographer Christopher Doyle for its color schemes and spectacle. It notes the film's emotional distance and focus on grand spiritual ideas over personal connections. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-27-et-turan27-story.html) - **Time Out**, NB (65/100, inferred): The review describes it as a luscious martial-arts rhapsody with pomp, panache and narrative puzzles that paints imperial history as a cartoonish romantic pageant, praising the sumptuous colour-coded visuals and extravagant style while noting the political proposition feels fascistic. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hero-3) - **The Guardian**, Philip French (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film graceful and visually stylish but ultimately inconsequential, lacking the magic and moral power of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He singles out its nationalist message that endorses trust in powerful rulers and justifies sacrifice for order as an unpleasant aspect. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/sep/26/philipfrench) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (30/100, inferred): The film delivers striking visual set pieces and technical mastery as a wuxia epic but feels like a sellout with a weightless patriotic story that lacks the purposeful edge of Zhang's earlier work. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/hero-1798199977) - **Paste**, Robert Davis (75/100, inferred): The critic praises Zhang Yimou’s elegant martial-arts epic for its painterly use of color, visual flair in fight sequences, and exploration of pacifism through the tension between sword and pen. Some themes like Chinese unification are treated too lightly, and certain character elements feel underdeveloped. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/zhang-yimou/hero) - **Collider**, Andre Dellamorte (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's beauty and visual spectacle as a colorful action epic inspired by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, while noting questions about director Zhang Yimou's intentions and a jingoistic element in the ending message. The review prefers an existentialist reading of the protagonist's fate over a patriotic one. [Read](https://collider.com/legend-of-drunken-master-iron-monkey-hero-and-zatoichi-blu-ray-reviews/) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film visually dazzling but criticizes its convoluted, impossible-to-follow story that prioritizes spectacle over substance. They single out the exaggerated flying fight sequences and balletic beauty for praise while noting the operatic overindulgence. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hero-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Details - **Director:** Zhang Yimou - **Director:** Zhang Yimou - **Writer:** Feng Li, Zhang Yimou, Wang Bin - **Cinematography:** Christopher Doyle - **Editor:** Ru Zhai, Angie Lam, Vincent Lee - **Music:** Tan Dun - **Production design:** Tingxiao Huo, Zhenzhou Yi - **Costume design:** Emi Wada - **Producer:** Zhang Zhenyan, William Kong, Zhang Yimou - **Cast:** Jet Li as Nameless; Tony Leung as Broken Sword; Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow; Donnie Yen as Sky; Zhang Ziyi as Moon; Chen Daoming as King of Qin; Liu Zhongyuan as Old Scholar; Zheng Tianyong as Old Servant - **Runtime:** 1h 39m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 27 August 2004 - **Genres:** Drama, Adventure, Action, History - **Budget:** $31 million - **Box office:** $177 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgsddFEe9Oc ## Where to watch in the US Not streaming, renting or buying in the US at the last check. Also available in: AT, BG, ES, HU, SG. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2003: Best International Feature Film (nominated) - International Submission to the Academy Awards 2003: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* (2000), Fi1m 90: For airborne swordplay with more room for longing and regret — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon.md) - *Ran* (1985), Fi1m 92: Another account of power where colour makes organised violence horribly clear — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ran.md) - *The Assassin* (2015), Fi1m 82: For martial arts stripped of hurry, with silence worth attending to — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-assassin.md) - *The Duellists* (1977): Two men keep fighting while history offers ample reasons to stop - *The Colour of Pomegranates* (1969): For colour and ceremony, with no promise of an action sequence --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/hero