Cinematography saves flawed 'Hero'
After \Kill Bill"" and ""Crouching Tiger,"" martial arts films are enjoying a renaissance with American audiences. With ""Hero,"" the trend shows no sign of slowing. The film tells of a pre- unified China, during which time several different rulers waged war with rival territories within the country. The King of Qin (Daoming Chen) dreams of a unified country, and uses what could be construed as tyrannical means to combat his enemies. A lone, nameless citizen (Jet Li) enters the King's palace to tell him that he has killed three assassins who previously attempted to take the King's life. Using a series of flashbacks told from varying perspectives, the battles involving the assassins and the nameless one are told and dissected.