Zhang Yimou's highly acclaimed martial-arts film "Hero" is finally opening in U.S. theaters today, after nearly three years in limbo.
It's the first martial-arts action-adventure for Zhang; the Chinese filmmaker is better known for such artsy dramas as "Raise the Red Lantern" and "The Road Home."
Since its 2001 completion, "Hero" has broken box-office records in its home country (under the title "Ying xiong") and was even nominated for the 2003 Academy Award for Best Foreign Feature (losing to "Nowhere in Africa").
In fact, since then, Zhang has even made a sequel to "Hero" — "House of Flying Daggers," which will be released in the United States early next year.
Zhang says he is just happy that "Hero" is finally seeing the light of day.
"It was not an easy film to get made," he said through a translator (Zhang speaks some English but prefers the languages in which he is more fluent, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese). "I am not a martial-arts filmmaker. So I had to convince people to take a chance on me and on the movie."
But the finished product has impressed the film industry, inside and outside of its home country. Even before the Academy Award nomination, the U.S. distribution rights were purchased by Miramax Films. Studio chief Harvey Weinstein opted to delay its release because of perceived similarities to the 2000 Academy Award-winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
"It has been a very long wait. I can only hope that my movie has gotten better in that time. I hope it has become a better film than (the Oscar-winner) now," Zhang joked.
He admits that "Hero" has some things in common with "Crouching Tiger." Both employed the same action choreographer (the legendary Yuen Wo-ping) and the same soundtrack composer (Tan Dun) — and they both co-star rising actress Zhang Ziyi, who also worked with Zhang Yimou on the 2001 drama "The Road Home."
"I have tremendous admiration for what (director Ang Lee) was able to do with ('Crouching Tiger')," Zhang Yimou said. "He managed to transcend the genre and make an artistic statement, which is what we as filmmakers are trying to do."
One of the many things that separate the two films is factual elements. While "Crouching Tiger" was based on a series of fantasy novels, "Hero" is based on the legendary accounts of the real-life King of Qin, who apparently had an almost superhuman ability to survive assassination attempts.
In this heavily fictionalized version, a nameless warrior (Jet Li) has come to Qin to protect the emperor from harm. Playing the would-be assassins are Hong Kong stars Donnie Yen ("Iron Monkey"), Maggie Cheung (the "Heroic Trio" series, some Jackie Chan films) and Tony Leung ("In the Mood for Love").
Before "Hero" began shooting, there were rumors that Jackie Chan had been approached to play the King of Qin. But Zhang says that is not so. "Jackie and I have known each other for years and have been talking about working together. But we did not talk about this particular film. He would not have been right for it."
Like "Crouching Tiger," "Hero" is visually striking, but Zhang and his production and costume-design teams used very different color palettes to delineate the separate sections of the film. The use of color in "Hero" is also based on interpretations and meanings of color "qualities."
"To me that is a very bold artistic move," Zhang said. "It is my way of strengthening the thematic content of the film. I believe it gives it more depth."
The concentration on visual style doesn't mean that "Hero" skimps on action, however. And Yimou's cast members are no strangers to martial-arts fight scenes. "To make an action film was quite a challenge for me," Zhang said. "So I was very fortunate to have so many talented people to hold my hand and walk me through the process."
That also included American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who was in China prepping for his "Kill Bill" movies when "Hero" was being shot. "We got to know each other and became friends," Zhang said.
"And Quentin will tell you that he had some influence in how my film turned out, but I'd like to think that the opposite was true," he said with a laugh.
That association was fortuitous, however, as it resulted in Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Films production/distribution company eventually helping "Hero" get its U.S. release. "I believe that it is because of him that the film is being given a chance in your country," Zhang said. "For that, I am in his debt."
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com