Hero (2002)
Coming Out at 24 October 2002 in theaters.
“Ying xiong”
Action, Adventure, History
Hero is wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou. Starring Jet Li as the nameless protagonist, the film is based on the story of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC.
Hero was first released in China on 24 October 2002. At that time, it was the most expensive project and one of highest-grossing motion pictures in China. Miramax Films bought the American market distribution rights, but delayed the release of the film for nearly two years. Quentin Tarantino eventually convinced Miramax to open the film in American theaters on 27 August 2004. The film received positive reviews from critics. It became the first Chinese-language movie to place No. 1 at the American box office (where it stayed for two consecutive weeks) and went on to earn $53.7 million.
In ancient China during the Warring States period, Nameless, a Qin prefect, arrives at the Qin capital city to meet the king of Qin, who had survived an attempt on his life by the assassins Long Sky, Flying Snow, and Broken Sword. As a result, the king has implemented extreme security measures: no visitors are allowed to approach the king within 100 paces. Nameless claims that he has slain the three assassins and he displays their weapons before the king, who allows the former to approach within ten paces and tell him his story.
Director: Yimou Zhang
Writers: Feng Li, Yimou Zhang, Bin Wang
Stars: Jet Li, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Daoming Chen, Donnie Yen, Zhongyuan Liu
Cast:
| Jet Li | … | Nameless |
| Tony Chiu-Wai Leung | … | Broken Sword |
| Maggie Cheung | … | Flying Snow |
| Ziyi Zhang | … | Moon |
| Daoming Chen | … | King |
| Donnie Yen | … | Sky |
| Zhongyuan Liu | … | Scholar |
| Tianyong Zheng | … | Old Servant |
| Yan Qin | … | Prime Minister |
| Chang Xiao Yang | … | General |
| Yakun Zhang | … | Commander |
| Ma Wen Hua | … | Head Eunuch |
| Jin Ming | … | Eunuch |
| Xu Kuang Hua | … | Pianist |
| Shou Xin Wang | … | Musician |
| Heizi | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Hua Cao | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Lei Li | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Xia Bin | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Peng Qiang | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Jie Liu | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| Zhang Yi | … | Seven Qin Guards |
| James Hong | … | Qin Emperor (voice) |
| Emil Lin | … | Nameless (voice) |
| Bruce Locke | … | Sky (voice) |
| Angela Oh | … | Moon (voice) |
| James Sie | … | Broken Sword (voice) |
| Elizabeth Sung | … | Flying Snow (voice) |
| Bing Lei Li | … | Guard |
| Tielin Zhang | … |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia