Hero

Hero is a breathtaking adventure whose beautiful and meticulously composed visuals lift the film above the ordinary.

The story takes place in China in a legendary past, when the powerful King of Qin is in the process of subjugating all of China. At that time China was divided into seven kingdoms, of which Qin was one.

Nameless, an entirely unknown upholder of law and order from a small, insignificant province, is granted an audience with the king because he has killed the three notorious assassins Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky, who have long sought the king's life. Nameless brings the king the swords of the dead as proof of his deed, but is he telling the truth?

Soon the story unfolds like a set of Chinese boxes. The main characters' motives and reactions turn out to be far more complex than Nameless first suggested. A central theme is the role of the hero, which is not as clear-cut as one might expect either. Why the 'Danish' title absolutely has to be the English Hero makes little sense.

The film's greatest weakness is perhaps the imbalance between form and content. At any rate, the skilfully staged sword duels, the large crowd scenes and the artful use of colour steal attention from the characters, who are more figures than properly rounded characters. You are thus more captivated and fascinated than drawn into the story.