Zhang Yimou's HERO

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This is without a doubt the most boring film I’ve seen in months.

The photography and art direction are astonishing but after a while began reminding me of gorgeous television car commercials. You know, the ones where you see a gleaming mid-size sedan piloted by beautiful young people (young man with stubble) doing the slo-mo thing through leaves, water, and chic night life spots to a languid techno beat. Only here the imagery surrounds repetitive wire fights that offer no excitement.

There are moments of beauty — an arrow attack, a fight through swirling leaves, a collapsing ring of stacked bamboo.

But the story is uninvolving, the performances are uninspired (I had been under the impression that Jet Li was an actor, but I was wrong), and the lovers generate no spark whatsoever.

One approach to try — turn off the sound and watch the pretty pictures while you read the newspaper.