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August 2004
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By Tonisha Johnson
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With a phenomenal cast of 6, writer-director Zhang Yimou portrays a time in China where Sword, Heart and Love represent the 3 highest levels of martial arts in this extraordinary film called Hero. As with so many films of ethnic descent trivializing the culture and
life of that particular group, Hero gets a chance to tell a story rich
in the history of “Our Land” nearly 2000 years ago. “If
you look at the history of Chinese martial arts literature,” says
Zhang, “the plot always hinges on revenge… For years, this
has been the only theme in Chinese martial arts films whether it’s
Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. I wanted to take the genre in a new direction.
In my story, the goal is to downplay violence. The characters are motivated
by their desire to end the war. For real martial arts heroes, the heart
is far more important than the sword.” |
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