Hero

[erikred]

I'm a huge fan of Fu films (as in "Kung Fu," or "Your fu is strong, but mine is better. Let's fight!"). Like so many of my generation, I grew up with Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater; my friends and I all wanted to be Bruce Lee, and just about everyone I knew took karate at some point.

In the late 80s and early 90s, Fu got a huge boost through better distribution of existing Fu films in the states; Jackie Chan, with his goofy face and willingness to take a few punches in the gut in the name of slapstick, made Fu accessible to people who otherwise couldn't take the genre seriously; and John Woo broke into the US market with his over-the-top Western style. Films like Hardboiled, Once Upon a Time in China, Chinese Ghost Story, and Drunken Master actually started getting critical acclaim from Ebert, Malden, and even the New York Times. Tarantino's epic homage, Kill Bill, brought together all of the classic elements of a genre that was by then already classic; the Wachowski Bros. took the classics and bumped them up to a hyperclassic mode.

And then Ang Lee showed us that you didn't have to be a veteran of the Fu biz to make a Fu masterpiece. Suddenly, Fu films were art for more than just the Fu fans. I mean, come on, this is Ang Lee-- you know, the guy whose film The Ice Storm actually gave Kevin Kline gravitas, the director of Sense and Sensibility, for Pete's sake. You don't get much more artsy than that. If Ang Lee can break in (and make the sublime Chow Yun Fat not only speak Mandarin but actually do wire-Fu), then you know there's a whole stable of otherwise artsy types who are just drooling to take a crack at this.

Enter Yimou Zhang, the director of such incredible films as Raise the Red Lantern and Happy Times. The man knows art. He also knows people, so he brings in a virtual who's who of Fu talents for the film: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, and, of course, Donnie Yen. As Donnie Yen reveals in a feature about the film on the DVD, the cast were all such old Fu hands that they often made up choreography on the spot.

Hero delivers the Fu. There's no doubt about that. My favorite fight is the one between Jet Li and Donnie Yen in the rain; it's so beautiful yet technically flawless, like improvisational ballet between two armed masters. Zhang dresses the scenes in splendid mono-color themes, reminiscent of Peter Greenaway's exquisite use of color in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, And Her Lover; each fight scene is like a painting.

In the end, however, the movie is somewhat disappointing. Yes, it's beautiful, but the beauty of the scenery can't cover up the shallowness of the plot. There's a reason for this apart from poor writing.

You see, I think that this movie falls down because it is, at its root, a propaganda film to affirm the legitimacy of the People's Republic of China. Sure, unlike Alexander Nevsky, it's not blatant; it's much more an allegory. The King of Qin, in his ruthless drive to conquer the six kingdoms and unite them under his rule, is, of course, the Communist Party; he is perceived as being bloodthirsty and set on personal gain, but his true intention is to unite China and end the useless in-fighting that's tearing the nation apart. The Kingdom of Zhao, the country most opposed to being assimilated into the great Qin empire, represents Taiwan. Flying Snow, the daughter of a famous Zhao general, represents the pro-Independence forces in Taiwan; their "father" is the last leader of the Chinese Nationalists, Chiang Kai-Shek. Although she is honorable and disciplined, she is irrationally opposed to the King of Qin; her inability to see the true design and the greater good costs her the life of the man she loves, and it inevitably leads to her own self-destruction. Broken Sword represents the "true patriots" of Taiwan, those local heroes who are willing to put aside the selfish illusion of independence in exchange for unconditional reunification with China; yes, they were at one time opposed to the idea, but they've been won over by logic and common sense. Nameless, the eponymous Hero of the movie, represents those born in Taiwan who think they have an obligation to demand independence, but whose actual duty is to sacrifice those selfish desires for the good of the country. They are told to listen to the Broken Swords-- the ones who put aside their militaristic opposition in favor of reunification.

The allegory is only made more spooky by the alleged assassination attempt on the pro-Independence President of Taiwan just before this year's election. Some have suggested that his wound, like Flying Snow's, was inflicted by friendly forces to stir up fears of the PRC trying to influence the election. The movie, of course, was made in 2002, so it's highly unlikely that there's any connection here, but it does resonate oddly.

A more hardline policy on the PRC is about the only thing I agree with the Republicans about (note that GWB's continuation of the PRC's Most Favored Nation trading status has been a downright betrayal of that philosophy). Taiwan has never been controlled by the PRC; the PRC has no historical claim to this nonsense of reunification, nor in calling Taiwan a rogue province. I don't know why Yimou Zhang felt the need to taint his beautiful movie with this silliness; perhaps he genuinely feels that Taiwan needs to be brought under PRC rule. Or perhaps I'm reading too much into this. Perhaps Zhao is not Taiwan at all; perhaps it's the Uighur-dominated western states of China, where the protests are daily and open conflict with the army is common. Perhaps it's just a paean to all things Confucian.

Perhaps. It still falls just short of greatness.

Comments

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

While knowing that it was fierce propaganda, I don't have the strong emotional connection to Chinese history like many of my fu film fan friends do (alliteration unintentional, but what the heck). I think that allows me to sit in awe of Hero. (I wrote a quick review of it after seeing it in theaters earlier this year, but I can't find the post.)

note that GWB's continuation of the PRC's Most Favored Nation trading status has been a downright betrayal of that philosophy

There is something in the White House water. We pay taxes. Could we please have Calistoga delivered to the White House or something? Since Tiananmen in 1989 (and probably before, but Tiananmen is where my memory on this issue starts), presidents and presidential candidates have told us that they'll be getting rid of that MFN status. Yet all three of them (Bush pere, Clinton, Junior Mint) have stepped up to the podium, taken a sip of water, and continued MFN. I don't get it.

[erikred.livejournal.com]

Right on. As I said, the Fu itself is spectacular. Given that it's directed by a man who's at least on par with, if not superior to, Ang Lee, however, I wanted more than just the average Fu plot to go with it. At the end of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I was overwhelmed by the manner of Chow Yun Fat's death; with Hero, not so much.

I don't get it.

They're corrupting our precious bodily fluids.

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

They're corrupting our precious bodily fluids.

But think of the chillllllldrunnnnnnn!