Hero (Blu-ray + Digital)

This film far exceeded my expectations. It is very deep on many levels. The astounding cinematography which uses beautiful displayes of colors for emotional content, hevenly scenery, and exquisite choreographed fighting. The fable like story telling which Poetically layers truth and reality, questions friendship, duty, and honor, and provides a glimps into chinese history. The blend of all of these elements makes the flim enjoyable on many levels. Beware spoilers in this paragraph. Some scenes I particularly enjoied where the battle with Sky in the "chess house" where they were playing "Go" which is a poetic foreshadowing of the battle that takes place in Nameless and Sky's mind. The fight in the leaves where the opponents rarely touch they just use there energy to force the leaves at each other. And the water confrontation. Now I just want to get something off my chest. I feel that the inclusion of Quentin Tarantino Presents tacked on to this film, and broadcast in all of the promotion is just blatant shameless advertising. I don't think it gives the creators there due respect by having Tarantino's name thrown out there like he had anything to do with the film being made. I love his films, but this is absurd. I've had several people come up and say "Hey have you seen the new Tarantino movie?" The same thing happended with The Iron Monkey. I think it is disrespecful to the creators. This is a classic epic film that I will soon add to my collection, and treasure for may reasons. I can't recomend it enough for those who are seeking a film experience which offers significant beauty and depth.

I have seen numerous martial art films over the years and this one (Hero) is one of the better ones out on DVD. As a lifetime student of numerous martial arts (Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Kobudo, etc), I have loved seeing good Asian and other martial art films that also have a good story with the action. This one (Hero) has a somewhat complex plot which actually makes it interesting to watch the story unfold. If you are not used to seeing these Asian martial art movies, you could become confused in some parts of this video; nevertheless, it is a compelling and enchanting movie to watch. Like many well-made Asian films, this one has many dazzling colorful scenes which makes this movie a pure visual joy to the senses. The story centers around a famous warrior and his desire to seek revenge against a dictatorial emperor, but as the story unfolds we discover the tale becomes much more complex. The emperor and the no name warrior (Jet Li) play a cat and mouse game as the warrior relates his experience in killing the emperor's enemies. The martial arts action is nothing short of fantastic and the story moves along quickly in each scene. In conclusion, if you like Asian martial arts films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or the American made Kill Bill, you will enjoy this film. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Haiku Moments: How to read, write and enjoy haiku)

First of all let me clarify something, this is NOT a QUENTON TARENTINO movie. "Hero" is a foreign film, that came out originally in 1999 but was brought just now to the US thanks in large part to QT (who loved the film and thought US audiences would too). Hero is set in china during it's "warring states" period. During this time, China was not a united country as we know it today, but consisted of 6 or so smaller kingdoms which were almost always at war with one another. Then the king of Qin (chin) attained military supremecy and began to ruthlessly conquer his neighbors, swallowing up all the kingdoms of china "like a silk worm gobbles up mulbury leaves". The king of Qin then proclaimed himself "Shi Huang Di" China's First emperor... china as we know it is born of this empire. The story is full of twists and is told in a Roshomon style (showing different perspectives of the story until we finally arive at the truth). The entire movie is really a conversation between the King Of Qin and a bounty hunter who has killed 3 assassins from the rival state of Zhou that were trying to kill the king. The Hero, tells the king his stories of how he defeated each, and the story takes a few twists. Our Hero, and his opponents all possess almost super-natural kung fu powers. And the fights are utterly amazing. The fight scenes and martial arts choreography are OUT OF THIS WORLD. In fact they're so over the top that many might find them "silly". But this is supposed to be more of a legend or a myth than a story based in reality and that should allow you to watch on with awe at thier powers rather than chuckling at seeing men walk on water or fly through the air. The acting is superb. Jet Li and all the others do an OUTSTANDING job! This combined with amazing vivid visuals and innovative use of striking color give Hero a very complex and heartfelt emotional depth that other movies are lacking now a days. Everything from the diologue to the story to the acting to the fabulous soundtrack is touching and moving. Amazing visuals, great cinematography, a wonderful score, excellent actors and a deep and engaging story... what more do you want? One word summurizes this film - FANTASTIC... in every possible sense of the word. Those just wanting a kung Fu Swordplay movie with some crazy fight scenes will get more than they could have possibly hoped for. Those wanting a deep and engaging historically based epic will also be pleased. And the passion with which this film was finely crafted ensures that it touches on every emotional aspect of life - love, hate, peace, war, passion, dedication, compassion, regret... you name it. You dont just watch this movie, you feel it - so those seeking a movie with depth and meaning behind it and a real story to tell should look no further than hero. It's a martial arts historical epic that has many levels and layers and you can come away from Hero with as much as you are willing to look for in it. A GREAT movie. a big big 5 stars.

Hero (2002) is a wuxia film that is similar to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, released in 2000. After the huge success of that film, we’re offered another visual feast, complete with a good plot, characters who walk on air, and even pacing. I think that Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the superior film, but Hero can hold its own with its abundance of action and beautiful images. I do think, however, that some scenes with CGI are a bit indulgent and sort of unrealistic, such as the sequence with literally hundreds of flying arrows. Overall, Hero is a solid martial arts film that’s essential to your collection. The blu ray is of premium picture and sound quality, and there are some nice special features.

Hero is one of the best martial arts movies of the decade. It's an excellent mix of amazing fight sequences, visuals and storytelling. The cast is excellent. Ranging from martial arts experts like Jet Li and Donnie Yen, great dramatic actors Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. Hero succeeds to entertain both the martial arts fans and the fans of interesting visual narratives. It's one of those martial arts movies that anyone can enjoy not only martial arts fans. The DVD itself comes with some extras. There are a 25 minute long making of featurette that covers the production of the film. There is also storyboard sequences and 13 minute long conversation between Jet Li and Quentin Tarantino where they discuss martial arts, film Hero and some other stuff. Overall it gives the basic insight you need about the film. For a single disc edition it's a good release with some extra content and top notch Video and Audio quality.

この映画はテレビ録画して何度も見ててそろそろDVDでも買って保存しようと思って、この度ダイイチ書房さんからの商品のレビューを見て購入したところ、届いた商品は特典disk付きで状態も良かったです。てっきり普通の1枚物かレンタル落ちの商品だと思っていたので、封を開けて見たときは高めの商品で驚きました。ましてすごく安価で出されていたのでダイイチ書房さんは元がとれているのか申し訳なく思いました😅また何かあれば是非ダイイチ書房さんから購入したいと思います。

nice epic wuxia movie.

Vous pouvez jetez/piétinez/détruire votre immonde blu-ray français (merci Universal...) ou même allemand (dont le master est tout aussi honteux que le blu-ray français) et vous ruez sur cette édition UK qui reprend à l'identique l'excellent master américain édité par Walt Disney Studio (dont Miramax était alors une filiale). La qualité vidéo de ce blu-ray écrase en effet haut la main toutes les autres éditions existantes. Le piqué et la précision de l'image sont à tomber, surtout sur les gros plans, et les dominantes de couleurs, si caractéristiques de certaines scènes du film, véritablement sublimes. J'ai personnellement relevé (mais cela reste subjectif) une (très) légère baisse de contraste dans les scènes en plan très large (notamment lors des mouvements de troupe de l'armée impériale), mais cela reste marginal sur la durée du film. Bref, d'un point de vue de l'image, c'est bel et bien (enfin !) de la haute définition digne d'un blu-ray. Concernant l'audio, je vous rassure également : il y a bien une piste française Dolby Digital 5.1 et il s'agit bien du véritable doublage français (VFF pour les puristes). Par contre il s'agit d'une piste mi-débit. On trouve également, en Dolby digital 5.1 mi-débit, le mandarin et l'espagnol. Seule la piste audio anglaise dispose d'une piste en DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. Je vous précise enfin qu'il y a des sous-titres français, non seulement pour le film, mais également pour tous les bonus (lesquels sont issus du DVD donc en version SD). Donc, si le DD 5.1 Français en mi-débit n'est pas une contrainte pour vous, je ne peux que vous conseillez d'acheter cette édition anglaise que j'ai personnellement payée sur amazon moins de 10 euros. Enfin, et pour ceux qui l'ignoreraient, je rappelle qu'absolument tous les blu-ray anglais sont parfaitement lisibles sur une platine française puisque le Royaume-Uni et la France font partie de la même zone.

Excelente película para la colección! De mis favoritas de cine Wuxia