"Nameless" vs "Heroes": Deconstructing Zhang Yimou's "Hero"

Author: Gu Xiaoming / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Heroes can be "words need not be trusted, actions need not be followed." Honesty is out the window, promises come later. Friendship can be betrayed, halfway can be abandoned. The film Hero claims to "let the world understand Chinese culture" (as reported by Shanghai Radio on December 20, the director's statement), yet the scenarios it constructs are—Nameless starts with lies and stories (not me teaching you deceit), the stories he tells are about the mutual disloyalty and betrayal of Canjian and Feixue, the untrustworthiness and unforgiveness between lovers (not me teaching you cruelty). Nameless entrusts his life to Changkong but easily gives up without a second thought. Tasks entrusted by friends seem to be something the film feels no need to address. And Qin Wang eliminates the "comrade-in-arms" Nameless as if it were, simply because he cannot "handle" his own subordinates, casually discarding another hero. These knights who meet for justice are neither honest nor trustworthy, their goals are wavering, they go back on their word—let alone the ordinary mortals who don’t understand the spirit of calligraphy, the spirit of swordsmanship, or the spirit of heroism. What era is this? The noble heroes and valiant warriors have become so humble and petty. For box office and "fame," they hastily concoct a story without deep reflection on the path of "Nameless." The result is a laughable and absurd system of meaning. Even close friends and lovers cannot communicate, martial arts and swordsmanship, and enlightenment cannot make comrades understand each other. It has to resort to plotting, setting traps, feigning, and indiscriminate killing to resolve the relationships and directions of these patriotic scholars. In the end, "Nameless"’s change of heart in battle declares: betraying "Changkong" is reasonable and lawful. Qin Wang’s betrayal and execution of "Youming" is reasonable and lawful. Dehumanizing and negating the characters and images of the valiant warriors and heroes accumulated over thousands of years for the director’s certain ideas is reasonable and lawful. Or, to rewrite Chinese stories and the spirit of Chinese culture for foreigners is reasonable and lawful. For box office, everything is reasonable and lawful.
The dialogue is rough and blunt, a consequence of the film’s shallow and fragmented essence. The narrative lacks coherence, and the randomly cut segments and shots fail to connect to form a whole. Thus, when short-circuiting occurs between "watchable" scenes, a few self-introduction-style statements are temporarily glued together with special effects and cool lenses—a cheap technique. When the eyes are drawn to the visuals and actions, the lack of language is often ignored by the audience, which is precisely the flaw of television. Now, even cinema is following this path, pursuing visual impact at the expense of substance. One reason is the one-sided pursuit of visual power.
Before Qin Wang and his three thousand black-clad soldiers, the "hero" Nameless appears. Under Qin Wang’s piercing gaze, "Nameless" begins to tell his story. Amidst the archers’ watchful eyes, "Nameless" awaits the judgment of his fate. Who were the shots given? Where is "Nameless"’s point of view? The director could have a third point of view, but the "Nameless" who have lost their perspective are already "inferior" from the start, their heroic spirit diminished.
The "zeroth-generation, 101st-generation" scriptwriter, whom I’ve dubbed, hasn’t written a script yet. But he’s now considering a 2004 New Year’s film. The momentum of the grand scale has rekindled his childhood dream of being a scriptwriter. Of course, whether the script is formal is another matter, but his courage is commendable.
This script challenges the New Year’s film market, truly embodying the style of today’s big-name directors like Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou. They play big, challenge themselves, and aim for new heights. But this "zero kid" hasn’t even seen a mountain, yet he’s charging toward new ones—truly lofty and ambitious! He’s incredibly foolish.
The famous reporter "Cockroach," who specializes in writing for domestic entertainment magazines and newspapers but avoids signing with any media for the sake of freedom—today’s so-called "international freelancer." Zero: I’m considering a 2004 New Year’s film. I have great ideas, absolutely brilliant. Cockroach: Really? Then I’d love to hear them. I know nothing about the entertainment industry, but if the 2004 New Year’s film doesn’t bring something extraordinary, how can you live up to the 2003 and 2002 New Year’s films? Zero: Exactly! What was the 2002 New Year’s film? Wasn’t it Feng Xiaogang’s Big Shot? And what about the 2003 New Year’s film? Isn’t it Zhang Yimou’s Hero? Think about it—what’s the connection? Cockroach: Connection? I don’t see it. One plays modern stories, the other ancient ones. One uses several big stars, the other just two. One uses all the big stars from Wong Kar-wai and Tsui Hark’s films, completely different things. I don’t see any connection. Oh (pretending to suddenly realize)! The titles are both two characters! Does that count? Zero: You’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long and wasted your time. You’re truly an entertainment reporter. Let’s not count it. Of course, Hero and Big Shot don’t have an absolute connection, but think about what Big Shot reflects, and what the early part of Hero plays with? Cockroach: I understand!! Big Shot foreshadowed Hero, and Hero echoed Big Shot! Zero: Congratulations, you’ve finally made it in this moment. My idea is to use the style of Big Shot to hype the early promotion of Hero. The title would be Big Shot Hero, basically meaning, if he’s a big shot, he’s a hero. Cockroach: Brilliant! Then yours isn’t a New Year’s film, but a New Year’s film: Celebrating the New Year’s film, they both grossed over 40 million and over 100 million, so you won’t stop until you gross over 140 million! Zero: Don’t kid around! Then in 2005, won’t others immediately label your New Year’s film as Big Shot Hero Big Shot? Of course, anti-piracy measures must be taken. Zhang Yimou once dropped tape in the air, but that trick is old. Do something extraordinary—spend 10 million to buy out the pirates, let them profit absolutely, and they won’t pirate your film anymore. Cockroach: That’s right. In Big Shot, there’s a line that’s absolutely brilliant when it comes to anti-piracy. Let me tell you, China’s audio industry is full of profits. No! Let me tell you, China now has 27 million DVD players, each machine consumes 10 DVDs a year, and we take 1 yuan in royalties per DVD. One dollar times 10 is 10 yuan, 10 times 27 million—that’s 270 million! 270 million? Correct! I’m sure Zhang Yimou must have thought of this too, which is why his anti-piracy work was so effective. Even I, a veteran entertainment reporter, couldn’t bring a camera to the premiere. Zero: Haha! So that’s the reason. But I’m sure Zhang Yimou must have calculated it this way: China’s film industry is full of profits. Correct! Let me tell you, China now has 1.3 billion people, and each person watches an average of one movie a year. If we take 2 yuan in box office per movie, 2 times 1.3 billion—that’s 26 billion! 26 billion? Correct! China’s critics, especially entertainment critics, have a very strange phenomenon or habit: whenever a fresh face or new story comes out, they first shower praise without hesitation. Once they think it’s enough, they suddenly turn 180 degrees, completely dismissing their previous praise as if it never happened. Yu Qiuwei is like this, Zhao Wei is like this, and Hero is no exception. It seems the entertainment reporters have decided to carry on this fine tradition to the fullest.
The focus of this article isn’t to discuss the media’s attitude but to explain that no matter how others evaluate it, I will definitely see Hero. First, things that provoke controversy often interest me more than those praised by all. Moreover, as a long-time martial arts enthusiast, aside from the mediocre ancient costume dramas currently in vogue, I watch every martial arts film. Plus, it’s a big domestic film produced in today’s highly developed computer technology, making it hard for criticism to push me away from it.
Regarding computer effects, some say, Hero’s effects are too perfect, overshadowing the story’s essence. Others say, Hero has no story at all, relying entirely on the spectacle of martial arts. How much weight special effects should hold in a film is a matter of personal opinion, but set aside that debate; in terms of quality, Hero’s effects don’t seem as perfect as the rumors suggest. I’ve seen descriptions that were quite disappointing: Qin Wang throws a sword in front of Jet Li, saying, "Choose for yourself." The way the sword flies in the air looks incredibly fake. I thought Chinese films couldn’t catch up to The Lord of the Rings in this regard, at least they should be better than The Legend of Zu Chi, considering you have people and money! But when I saw the clip of Qin Wang, I had an idea—to see how imperfect Hero could be. This also counts as one of the reasons I want to see the film.
The greater appeal comes from the actors. I don’t know where Old Zhang got the nerve to keep mentioning my "old love" and even talk about music. Tan Dun’s recent fame is undeniable. He shone at the Oscars, created Eternal Water, and even debated with a music critic, skyrocketing his popularity. Once a person’s style is formed, it’s hard to change, especially after becoming famous. This is reflected in composer Tan Dun, who now faces suspicion of copying Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in Hero’s soundtrack. Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal. Mystic Garden has a similar style, and albums are still selling like hotcakes. Besides, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s soundtrack won an Oscar, and now Hero is also competing for the Oscars. Tan Dun might as well pick an existing piece and sell it to the judges as a gimmick, which is understandable. Whether the two film scores are similar or not will depend on how you feel when watching the movie.
Chinese cinema is currently at a bottleneck. On one hand, many good films by the Sixth Generation directors can’t get screening permits, while the Fifth Generation seems to be running out of steam. At this time, directors like Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Yimou, and Ang Lee step forward, trying to align domestic films with the tide of the global film industry through the method of "tapping into Western markets while preaching Chinese culture." The effectiveness of this attempt is yet to be seen, but just for this courage, I would buy the VCD of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was heavily criticized domestically, and I would faithfully go to the cinema to see Hero.