2004 August | the Captain's JLA blog

These days I seem to be writing as much about live action superheroes as about the normal comicbook versions – I’ll get back on track sooner or later. This summer has been only okay for genre films: Spider-Man 2 is considered a highpoint for some, personally I thought Shrek 2 and Harry Potter were better, but then I just don’t like the character. Catwoman was just a hair ball. I did find the President Luthor Bush documentary interesting, but too biased to really make an impact outside of the people who were likely to go and see it anyway. We now have the tail end of the summer season with one or two surprises still to come (if Sky Captain ever ships).

Hero is a film of the Hong Kong school and was the most expensive Chinese film ever made. Yimou Zhang’s 2002 film wasn’t originally going to get a theatrical release in the USA, but Quentin Tarantino cut a deal with Miramax to allow them to use his name to promote it (“Quentin Tarantino Presents”). Western audiences will recognise Jet Li from Leathal Weapon 4 (1998) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001) as a character called Namesless (surely a nod to Clint Eastward). I heard some people expressing confusion with the plot as they left the theatre, but its elegance is really quite simple.

Li’s Namesless character comes before the King to claim the prize for killing three assassins who had been trying to kill the King. Their conversation shifts backwards and forwards as different versions of the assassin’s deaths are debated (each played out in a different colour themed flashback) until the final truth (white) is revealed. If you need a comparison then think of the ending of Clue played out with martial arts. The fight sequences themselves are excellent and the flashbacks give some of them a wonderful dream like quality.

Comparisons with Crouching Tiger are unavoidable. This film is slightly shorter than Tiger and I’d probably rate is slightly lower. However slightly lower than brilliant, is still bloody good. I would have thought that most comicbook fans would love this movie. In fact I’d go as far to say that it feels like a Warren Ellis / John Cassaday story: bright, clean and simple, yet with a resonant heart that perfectly captures an entire art form/genre.

4.0

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Monthly Archives: August 2004

Hero

Justice League Animation Schedule