Hero (5 Stars)

My mother-in-law used to say, "If you haven't held something in your hand for a year, throw it away". That was her advice to prevent a house being cluttered with unwanted items. I can see the sense in her words, but it doesn't apply to me. I haven't held my "Hero" Blu-ray disc in my hand for ten years. It would have been a tragedy if I'd thrown it away, or even sold it on Ebay. It's a wonderful film.

It has a prominent place on the top shelf in my film collection. Most of my collection (over 2000 films) is in alphabetical order, but my top shelf is reserved for films that are special to me. They're the first films I see when I look at my shelves. Why haven't I watched it all these years? I honestly don't know. I didn't think it was that long. If it weren't for my blog acting as an infallible film diary I wouldn't have known.

"Hero" is a majestic film. Despite the frequent fight scenes, it's slow and philosophical. Jet Li plays a nameless warrior. His lack of a name is significant in itself. A man doesn't become a hero to have his name remembered in history books. A true hero does what's right, even if nobody will ever know what he did.

The film takes place in 227 BC. China was divided into seven kingdoms. Qin was ruled by a tyrant who was waging war against the other six kingdoms. The nameless warrior trained for ten years to assassinate the king, but when he had victory in his grasp, he refused to carry out his mission and walked away. He came to the conclusion that it's better for China to be united under a tyrant than divided.

Calligraphy plays an important part in the film. Before challenging a rival swordsman, the nameless warrior asks him to draw the symbol for sword on an eight feet canvas. He says that there are 19 ways to draw the symbol, but there's a 20th way. By looking at the canvas he'll understand his opponent's fighting skill.

While waiting to be slain, the king meditates on the canvas.

"I have come to a realisation. This scroll contains no secrets of swordsmanship. What it reveals is the highest ideal.

In the first stage, man and sword become one; even a blade of grass can be used as a lethal weapon.

In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand, but in the heart; even without a weapon the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces.

But the ultimate ideal is when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him. The desire to kill no longer exists. Only peace remains".

That's a lot to learn from a painted symbol. The King of Qin may look like a tyrant, but he's a very spiritual man. He embraces death, not knowing he will be spared.

Success Rate:  + 3.7

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