Director Zhang Yimou's epic chinese movie, Hero, is not yet available official in the States. It was released in China end of last year to be eligible for a Best Foreign picture Oscar nomination. However, DVD's (official or not is still unclear) is popping up all over the place. I got the chance of viewing the movie. Before you read further, please note that it is difficult to review the movie without giving it away. So if you have not seen the movie, stop reading after this paragraph. I encourage you to see this movie. If you are a Zhang Yimou's fan, you will love this movie. The use of color, and sound, and mood is signature Zhang style. One thing to be clear is that this is not a martial arts movie. If you are only into martial arts, then while you will enjoy the fight sequences, there is little else that will make this into a action flick, which it is not. Just like if you think Crouhing Tiger Hidden Dragon is a just a martial art movie, you are mistaken. Crouhing Tiger is a love story. Hero is a story about Heroism.
...to be continued...