YING XIONG

“HERO”

4 STARS - POWERFUL

The visual mythology of Yimou Zhang transcends the language barriers in his Chinese film, “Ying Xiong” or “Hero.” Inviting us to enter the magical world he has created, we experience his tale with our entire souls and not just our eyes and ears. Entering into the myth that is being told, the visual arts and musical scores make each moment a feast that we don’t want to end as they support the fluid movement of the dancing fighters. Similar in style to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” we are now taken to another level of art.

Having won the 2002 Oscar for “Best Foreign Film,” the mythological tale speaks of a time almost 250 years before Christ. In actual history, the King of Qin (Daoming Chen) began his rule at 13 years of age. Ruthlessly ambitious, King Zheng (also spelled Chen or Ch’in, which became China) had one primary goal: To unite the seven kingdoms of ancient China into one land. By conscripting young boys when they were 14 or 15 years of age and requiring them to spend their entire life in service to his cause, his desire for a unified land and a forced peace was achieved in 221 BC. Brutally killing both his country’s intellectuals who decried his methods and his enemies who tried to stand against him, King Zheng not only created the largest army in the world but was also the first to develop iron arrows and weapons against which no enemy could stand. He united the various walls into the Great Wall of China during his reign.

These historical facts help explain the purpose of the mythology of the film. The story holds two purposes: First, to explain the motivation of the King of Qin as actually being a good one: to unite the nations into one land, “our land;” The second is to explain why, if he was so brutal, he was not assassinated.

Using names that fit the genre of myth, the hero is called Nameless (Jet Li). An orphan from Qin, he has set out to destroy the three assassins who have kept the King from being able to sleep in peace for years. He is successful and appears before the King to explain how he achieved single-handedly what no one else has been able to do.

He explains that he has spent ten years becoming a swordsman better than the first assassin, Sky (Donnie Yen). Fighting him in spirit, the colors of their clothes change like religious icons from red (imagination) to blue (perceived reality). Throughout the film, the colors of the clothing communicate deeper messages as white (truth) changes to green (enlightenment/peace).

When Sky is killed, Nameless uses the end of Sky’s spear to elicit a lover’s battle between Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai). Through treachery and manipulation of their jealousy, Nameless is able to defeat them both.

At least, that is what he tells the King. But it is then that the King reveals his power to discern the motives of people and he unravels Nameless’ tale by suggesting a far different reality and we suddenly realize that this mythical tale has only begun to be told.

The significance of this film comes not only from its beauty as a work of art and from the fact that it is the most expensive film ever made in China. But its primary significance also comes from helping us understand the Chinese people. If this tale is representative of the cultural beliefs of the people, then it reveals that they see peace as possible only through brutal subjugation.

The deaths of the intellectuals in the 3^rd century BC under this brutal king are no different in kind than the deaths of the 20^th century intellectuals under Chairman Mao. The Hero of this film willingly decides to not kill the King when he has the chance because he believes that peace will only come to “our land” through the King’s brutal subjugation, a brutality that costs “Nameless,” or “Everyman,” his life. It is a message we cannot ignore.

Discussion:

The mythical and religious explanations of a culture define not only what is possible, but also what is preferable. How do you see the actions of “heroes” of Christian cultures as compared and contrasted to the actions of this “hero” of Chinese culture?
When the vengeance of Flying Snow causes her to turn on her lover, Broken Sword is not surprised. Which do you think is more powerful: love or vengeance? What can free a person from their desire for revenge?
The struggle within Nameless ends when he flies at the King with his sword, and then makes his statement to the King that his decision will cost many people their lives. Do you believe he made the correct choice? Why or why not?
In a world where we no longer have iron arrows but nuclear missiles, do you believe China would use these to subjugate its perceived enemies? What would keep this from happening?

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Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary. Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is pastor of the Free Methodist Church. For more reviews: http://www.cinemainfocus.com.