So Nameless had to willingly die to facilitate the ideal of a unified China, which is the heroic act. Question: Is the plot to this film about Nameless wanting to assassinate the king, or about the love between Flying Snow and Broken Sword? Succinct and straight replies to the questions without oversimplifying it, good post. What kind of rationalisation is that? There's no indication that Nameless would have definitely disarmed him somehow as the king is shown to be a decent swordsman. I mean this is kinda just what it says on the tin lol. It turns out that Jet Li used these weapons to get close to the emperor and he is the … According to an interview Hargrave did with Collider, the movie's original ending included an explicit death for Tyler, and the reaction from test audiences was split. He has a cordial relationship with his ex-wife (Elliott’s real-life wife, Katharine Ross, lovely in just a couple of scenes) but he’s estranged from his daughter (Krysten Ritter in an underwritten role) and struggles to reconnect with her. Never Make Rules: Director Rachel Talalay on A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting, Netflix's Social Distance Struggles to Sum Up the Ordeal of 2020, A Preview of the 56th Chicago International Film Festival, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time Offers Hours of Deadly Fun. Haley renders Lee’s contemplation of his mortality as a series of surreal flashbacks to his signature role—in a movie called, appropriately, “The Hero”—but with the star in his current state. Just as the supporting figures feel like concepts rather than actual people, so, too, does Lee himself. “The Hero” is loaded with clichés about the fickle nature of Hollywood, May-December romances and last shots at happiness later in life. He had achieved personal peace as the emperor had recognized in the calligraphy. And yet, Elliott’s mere presence makes the film more watchable than it should be for longer than you’d expect. Keep in mind that at the time it was the most expensive film ever in China, they definitely weren't going to waste the opportunity to add some commentary. A lot of people have interpreted this as tacit support for an authoritarian government in China, so you're not alone in reading it as propaganda. As a result, the film as a whole feels like a fine short that’s been stretched out to feature length. She likes poetry—which “The Hero” drives home by having Charlotte read to Lee from an actual book of poetry. Design and text © 1996 - 2020 Jon Sandys. Why didn't he decide that before heading into the king's palace and putting his life on the line? Subplots like an accidental viral video and long walks on a lonely beach function more as padding than as a statement on our culture in general or this man’s place in it. My thinking was that he had somehow convinced the king to be a better and more peaceful man, by showing him mercy and the ultimate warrior ideal with the calligraphy (which is pretty weak and hard to believe in its own right) but this isn't really supported by the end of the film - the king had Nameless executed, and we're told that he went on to stomp over China and unify it, but are not told if he spared unnecessary deaths, if he ruled peacefully, or was in any way different from how he started. It stars Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman and Katharine Ross and follows an aging movie star who deals with his terminal illness. During one of those hazy visits, Lee meets another customer of Jeremy’s: the sexy, saucy Charlotte (Laura Prepon), with whom he begins an unlikely romance. He'd already heard Broken Swords philosophy, he'd already seen the calligraphy. She’s a stand-up comedian. The king looks at Broken Sword's piece of calligraphy and deduces from one painted symbol a whole bunch of deep philosophy about how warriors should prefer peace and not killing? Let me know whether this storyline is a mess or I'm completely misunderstanding it! Visible crew/equipment: When Broken Sword and Flying Snow are walking in the desert to the place they want to hurt themselves, the shadow of the crew is visible on Flying Snow. Either way, it just makes for better drama for him to nearly go through with it and then back out at the last second. There's no indication that Nameless would have definitely disarmed him somehow as the king is shown to be a decent swordsman. The hero was under tje impression that the cops would have found his daughter alive as he and his friend had made the plan and in the end everyone forgot about the little girl. Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback. He spared him and sacrificed himself as a martyr instead because he knew the Emperor was the only one capable of uniting the country. level 1 The king looks at Broken Sword's piece of calligraphy and deduces from one painted symbol a whole bunch of deep philosophy about how warriors should prefer peace and not killing? That's a good question. Shouldn't he have taken some time to think on this issue before committing himself to the assassination? And that’s about it. You can find Christy's writing at ChristyLemire.com. He’s been riding on that success, culturally and financially, with diminishing returns ever since. Why is that a reason to let this assassin kill him? You couldn't have the whole three-story structure without it. You have to remember that many of the "Great" men of history like Alexander the Great, Cyrus the Great, Oda Nobunaga, Changdragupta, were not themselves any different that the Chinese Emperor on this film. I assume it's because he was upset that the emperor killed his family, but still wasn't convinced until hearing the emperor's motivations. 3. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017 and was released on June 9, 2017, by The Orchard. Broken Sword and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) kill each other. So what has Nameless achieved here? And the repetition of a series of remorseful, dreamlike images from the past does nothing to increase their poignancy. Most of your questions have been answered, but I wanted to add that there were two versions of the final phrase. The second is that by knowing others believe in his ideal of a unified China (天下, "all under heaven"), he doesn't fear death as he believes his dream can live on beyond him. Basically the act of heroism was to stay his hand and choose peace, because he saw that the Emperor was also capable of choosing peace. Nameless had to be killed despite sparing the king because the king needed to establish his own authority as king in order to justify his conquest/unification of China - he couldn't let someone who made an attempt on the crown to live, or else other potential assassins would take him as weak. All rights reserved. But what Charlotte doesn’t know—what nobody knows—is that Lee has pancreatic cancer, and not much longer to live. That’s like arguing Pearl Harbor is American propaganda because it aligns with American interests. But he could use some meatier material. They almost convinced me! In the My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising ending, Nine and his group of villains launch their final attack on class 1-A, who set up a more defendable base within the island’s castle ruins. But while it’s a pleasure to luxuriate in the silver-haired 72-year-old’s distinctively handsome features and deeply resonant voice, there’s not much to the character he plays or the story that surrounds him. Jet Li didn't kill the three assasins, but the three assasins lost to him in staged battles and gave him their weapons willingly. Christy Lemire is a co-host of the YouTube film review show "What the Flick?!" The hero thought his friend will keep his daughter safe but that wasnt the case and she died in the e Jet Li does not kill the emperor and walks away, and is killed by millions of arrows, leaving a Jet Li shaped hole in the arrows. People were upset by one of the translation and so it was later changed, but I can't remember which. I guess there are about a million other "heroes" too then? Idr if there was a particular rationale here, but the entire idea of being able to see into someone's deepest thoughts from the way they wrote something is just a very poetic idea about calligraphy. It's been a minute since I've seen the film but I think I can help. What makes him a "Hero"? It's kinda amazing that Yimou managed to make such a beautiful movie with all the other influences in the background of the production. You couldn't have the whole three-story structure without it. People like Broken Sword were just tired of killing people. You just need to roll with that one. It’s at most a politically-charged film. “The Hero” is loaded with clichés about the fickle nature of Hollywood, May-December romances and last shots at happiness later in life. Not much of an arc to that one, though. And yes, there was definitely some element of propaganda in the movie, in that the moral is that authoritarianism is justified as long as the ruler is "enlightened". In the flashbacks, the characters' costumes go from red (imagination) to blue (perceived reality) to white (truth). Occasionally, Lee ventures out to see his only friend, Jeremy (Nick Offerman), a former TV series co-star who also happens to be his drug dealer. Jet Li didn't kill the three assasins, but the three assasins lost to him in staged battles and gave him their weapons willingly. There’s just not a lot to this character, so their connection never makes sense. (She also happens to look a lot like his daughter, which the script from Haley and Marc Basch never mentions.) The ending of the original story is totally different and it was changed for the movie because Chinese movies are often just propaganda, or they’re at least effected by the need for a pro-China message. Either way, it just makes for better drama for him to nearly go through with it and then back out at the last second. And it’s not even unlikely because she’s half his age. Hero is a 2002 Chinese wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. The king didn't say anything new to convince him. lot of people have interpreted this as tacit support for an authoritarian government in China, so you're not alone in reading it as propaganda. So it's not a "I'm fucked anyway, I give up", it's simply a voluntary, bizarre decision. The main reaso Hero is considered such it's because modern China is a dictatorship. Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links. I'll admit I know nothing about ancient Chinese calligraphy, but that seems like a pretty big stretch. Perfect for Halloween - Great Horror Movie Mistakes & Trivia on Kindle... 25 biggest mistakes in classic Disney movies, The biggest mistakes in the Harry Potter movies, 25 mistakes you never noticed in great movies, The 20 biggest mistakes in The Wizard of Oz, 40 biggest mistakes in The Big Bang Theory.