Analysis of Hero the Film by Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou’s thrilling film Hero is both an emotional and exhilarating experience. Hero combines the use of action-packed scenes as well as a beautiful love story. Nameless, Broken Sword and Flying Snow, the main characters, team up to eventually kill the King of Qin who had murdered a number of people with the Qin army including both Flying Snow and Nameless’s father. Although the Qin army is an enemy of Broken Sword and Flying Snow’s people, it is a personal issue to assassinate the king. Throughout the film the audience is exposed to the developing love that forms between Broken Sword and Flying Snow. While their love unfolds, many battles of combat arise between enemies and allies. When Nameless joins Broken Sword and Flying Snow, they seem to be completely unstoppable. However, in the end, vengeance seems less necessary to the three. While watching Hero the audience does not only recognize the incredible storyline but can pick out multiple film components that made this film popular. Yimou utilizes film elements such as symbolism, editing, tone of the film and sound. By using these film elements Yimou’s film Hero has become a popular representation of ancient China during the 3rd century BC.

The movie Hero gives the audience insight on what the movie is going to be about just by its title. When a person hears this movie title, they automatically think action and an interesting story. A title is one of the most important aspects to the films propaganda. The title of a film can give one of two reactions for the viewer. Either they are intrigued or uninterested just by the title of the film. In Hero’s case, the title promises conflict, battles and adventure. However, the title is not the only tool that is used to describe the ...

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...l scenery that was able to capture the audiences eye and make the film that much more wonderful to watch. The film was expressed through expanded chronological time so that the audience can the detail in all of the events that happen on screen. The tone of the film is both romantic and action filled. Through the use of tone, the audience catches a sense of the storyline of the film and it enhances the emotions for the viewer. Tone was represented through scenery, editing and flashbacks in Hero. Lastly, sound is very important to any cinematic film. The sound in Hero combined traditional Chinese music as well as background sounds. The use of background sound gives life to the film and intrigues the audience. By using all of these film components, Yimou was able to create an astounding film with unique characteristics of narrative structure, editing, tone and sound.