Overview
A lone warrior stands against the tide of chaos, fighting for justice in a time of turmoil.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- grand
- poetic
- romantic
- martial arts movie night
- historical epic night
What critics said
Critics broadly acclaimed the film's epic historical scope, breathtaking visual design, philosophical ambition, and death-defying martial arts set pieces.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Red, blue, white, and green color schemes distinguish the film's successive accounts and shape their emotional meaning.
Nameless and the king debate whether individual lives may be surrendered to end division among the kingdoms.
Duels among Nameless, Sky, Broken Sword, and Flying Snow unfold through calligraphy-like movement, landscape, and stillness.
Nameless's account of the assassins is repeatedly revised as the king interprets motives and contradictions.
Films like Hero, and why
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
shared wuxia tradition, lyrical martial arts choreography, tragic romance, and philosophical meditation on sacrifice
House of Flying Daggers
shared wuxia spectacle, period Chinese setting, romantic conflict, and color-saturated visual design
Rashomon
shared multi-perspective storytelling, competing accounts of violence, and philosophical uncertainty about truth
The Last Samurai
shared historical martial arts epic, stylized combat, and tensions between personal loyalty and national unity
Movie Details
- Director
- Zhang Yimou
- Release Date
- 2002-12-19
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (2603)
Cast
- Jet Li
- Tony Leung Chiu-wai
- Maggie Cheung
- Donnie Yen
- Zhang Ziyi
- Chen Daoming
- Liu Zhongyuan
- Zheng Tianyong
- Qin Yan
- Zhang Yakun
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hero about?
- A color-saturated wuxia epic turns an assassin’s audience with the Qin king into a meditation on truth, love, and the price of peace.
- What is Hero like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hero as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Hero violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Hero as moderate.
- What did critics think of Hero?
- Critics broadly acclaimed the film's epic historical scope, breathtaking visual design, philosophical ambition, and death-defying martial arts set pieces.
- Which films are like Hero?
- Films with a similar feel include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Rashomon, and The Last Samurai.
- How long is Hero?
- Hero runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hero?
- In United States, Hero is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
