Hero

"One man's strength will unite an empire."

2002 1h 39m ZH

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 2,609

DramaAdventureActionHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

“One man's strength will unite an empire.”

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Cast

Jet Li
Nameless
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Broken Sword
Maggie Cheung
Flying Snow
Donnie Yen
Sky
Zhang Ziyi
Moon
Chen Daoming
King of Qin
Liu Zhongyuan
Old Scholar
Zheng Tianyong
Old Servant

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Feng Li, Feng Li, Zhang Yimou
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: Hong Kong, China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, China.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tan Dun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ru Zhai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jet Li and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One man's strength will unite an empire.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zhang Yimou directs. Christopher Doyle behind the camera. Tan Dun scores. Ru Zhai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Hong Kong, China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.7× over at the box office.
2Released 24 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, China.
4Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Christopher Doyle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Tan Dun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ru Zhai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jet Li and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "One man's strength will unite an empire.".
9IMDB entry: tt0299977 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "martial arts", "kung fu", "right and justice", "countryside".
11Released under 29 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Doyle
Original score: Tan Dun
Editing: Ru Zhai
Production design: Tingxiao Huo
Costume design: Emi Wada
Makeup / hair: Yang Xiao-Hai
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $31,000,000
Box office: $177,394,432
Return: 572% of budget
Original language: ZH
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Hero (2002)

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Zhang Yimou

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Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2025-02-01
★ 8/10
Hero: Zhang Yimou's Cinematic Poem of Movement and Meaning In "Hero", Zhang Yimou transcends the martial arts genre, transforming physical combat into a language of profound philosophical discourse. What begins as a seemingly simple narrative about an assassin becomes a breathtaking meditation on individual sacrifice and national unity. Drawing from Kurosawa's multi-perspective storytelling in "Rashomon", Zhang creates something entirely his own. Each retelling of the story is not just a different perspective, but a different visual poem - choreographed fights that are less about violence and more about inner emotional landscapes. The film's fight sequences are revolutionary. They aren't mere action, but abstract ballets where movement, color, and spatial relationships communicate complex philosophical conflicts. A battle in a chess pavilion or a dance of warriors in falling leaves become metaphors for human connection, political ideology, and personal destiny. Zhang's visual language is extraordinary. Color isn't decoration, but narrative - each sequence bathed in a different chromatic tone that reflects emotional and philosophical states. Red speaks of passion, blue of melancholy, white of purity and sacrifice. "Hero" represents an elevation of Zhang's gift for storytelling: a narrative film that is simultaneously a political allegory, a philosophical inquiry, and a visual symphony.

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