Hero is a magnificent piece of cinema

Hero

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cast: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk

Cert: 12.

A beautifully-shot, stylish gem in the same mould as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger.

The story concerns the meeting by a Chinese Emperor of an assassin, the former wanting to bring the battling statelets together and the latter full of boasts about how to achieve it.

The Emperor, though, begins to suspect that the boasts might well be hollow.

There are, to be sure, moments when the film fails to engage its audience but otherwise it is a magnificent piece of cinema.

Star Rating: 4/5