by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Theories abound as to why the magnificent 2002 release Hero, the biggest-grossing film ever in its native China, has been so long delayed in reaching Western cinemas.

Some suggest that Miramax, which has a miserable track record with Asian re-releases, didn't think it could replicate the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (which shares a producer and the ingenue actress Zhang Ziyi). Or maybe they wanted a one-two punch with Hero director Zhang Yimou's more recent House of Flying Daggers, due out shortly (we hope).

Others argue it would replicate that success too well, undermining whatever crappy DiCaprio vehicle they're pimping this week. I'll buy that one and draw your attention to Hero's star power. Director Zhang made his mark with lush historical dramas like Red Sorghum and Raise the Red Lantern, and follows his earlier genre-film digression Shanghai Triad with a go at the kung fu epic.

The story's simple enough. Circa 220 BC, a nameless swordsman arrives at the palace of the paranoid King of Qin to present the weapons of three assassins he has bested. He tells the King how, through a series of flashbacks. At the halfway mark, the King calls him out as a liar and gives his own very different version.

I won't spoil the rest, but rather return to the stellar cast and crew. Zhang's exquisitely disciplined production is gorgeously captured by cinematographer Christopher Doyle, celebrated for his work with director Wong Kar-Wai (Shanghai Express). Most of the flashback sequences are monochromatically colour-coded to the tiniest detail, making every frame a fucking Rembrandt.

The cast boasts kung fu superstar Jet Li, of course, as well as the exceptional Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, again doomed lovers, as they were in Wong's In the Mood for Love. Of particular note is the relatively unknown Chen Daoming in the role of the King. In his numerous facial close-ups, his simplest shift of expression connects with the same furious impact of any of Li's kicks.

Also on board for a brief but pivotal sequence, arguably the finest fight in the film, is Donnie Yen. He's a prominent figure in kung fu cinema (Iron Monkey, Tiger Cage, Wing Chun) and increasingly familiar beyond Hong Kong (Blade II, Shanghai Knights). The actor, action director and, as of the fun Twins Effect, filmmaker Yen chatted with the Mirror about Hero's home-field advantage over Crouching Tiger, squaring off against Li and the true meaning of kung fu.

Mirror: Hero illustrates the point that the principles, the spirit of kung fu, can apply as much to an artform like calligraphy as it can to violent combat. Do you feel it also applies to the art of filmmaking?

Donnie Yen: I think that, for the longest time, general Western audiences have looked at martial arts only as a fighting art. But to the Chinese, martial arts have been a form of philosophy. Martial arts are a way of expressing yourself, an expression just like everything else - you talk, you walk, do music, everything you do in life. In the film Hero, where we kind of introduce that way of thinking to the West, perhaps it's fresh to the audiences. But in Chinese culture, it's just part of the understanding that, when you have a martial arts film, these kind of philosophies come with it.

Southern Tiger, Northern Hero

M: In the West, comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are inevitable, but it should be pointed out that Hero was far better received by Chinese audiences than Crouching Tiger. Why do think that is?

DY: I would talk about the differences between the directors Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee. They represent two Chinese cultures - one is northern, the other southern. The southern culture is usually more delicate, softer and more laid back, as you can see in Crouching Tiger - the setting, people's gestures, even the dialogue. In Hero, the film is set in the north. Zhang Yimou grew up in Beijing, so the man is a northern person, which usually means more passionate, more aggressive, more direct. Obviously, because both films were produced by the same person [Bill Kong], he wanted to extend the influence and success of Crouching Tiger. That's why he hired Zhang Yimou, to deliberately do something totally opposite, one southern, one northern. Now, you gotta remember, we Chinese have seen these genres many, many times. We grew up with these novels, TV series and movies. Yes, it is true that Crouching Tiger, the whole setup, the costumes, it's been done numerous times. Hero is the same, with the costumes and everything, but what Zhang Yimou tried to do with Hero was something greater than that. He borrowed the setting from history and made a twist to it. It created a lot of controversial challenges, about whether the Emperor of Qin did what he did. But you have to remember, we're not trying to tell history, we're trying to tell a good story. He was trying to look at it in a positive light, where the Emperor did some good things for the Chinese people. Of course, the way he structured the film, the colour and everything, he wanted to really stand out from what the Chinese audiences grew up watching.

M: In Hero, you don't have the high contrast between good and evil. That distinction is blurred. The heroes are assassins driven by a thirst for bloody revenge, while the villain, the King of Qin, is driven to acts of epic violence and repression only because he ultimately seeks peace for all of China, not just the Qin region. This aspect of the story really struck me. Do you feel it's an important element of the film's narrative?

DY: I think it's a combination of all things, why this film is so powerful. That being said, I agree with you totally about what Zhang Yimou was trying to do, not setting a general structure of good and evil. I think there's good and evil in all of us, and it was pretty obvious that every character in Hero demonstrated that.

Donnie and the Jet

M: Hero marks your first screen fight with Jet Li since Once Upon a Time in China II, a decade ago. To fans of modern kung fu cinema, it's a momentous rematch. Was this something you've been looking forward to?

DY: No, I really never looked into it. But the fans - and the distributors - were looking for it (laughs)! The reunification of the ultimate fight. We did a fight 10 years ago and it created such a high bar for all martial-arts films, and it's just part of the commercial aspect of this film.

M: Do you like working with Jet Li?

DY: Oh, yes, of course! He's an old friend, and we came in with a mission - to set a higher standard for martial-arts films.

M: It must be a bit like jazz musicians jamming together.

DY: Oh, absolutely. Ten years ago we created something that became such a classic. At first we were wondering if we could do it again. But now, of course, we've proven that we could.

M: I understand that Zhang Yimou gave Tony Ching, the action director, a great deal of creative freedom. Would it be fair to say that Zhang was responsible for the overall appearance and narrative significance of your scene, while Ching was responsible for the very immediate, nuts-and-bolts, mechanical aspects?

DY: You gotta give both men credit. Obviously, Zhang oversaw the whole picture and already had in mind what individual characters and scenes needed to be. At the same time, credit goes to action director Ching, who created and choreographed that stuff. What you have to remember is, in Asian cinema, the action director does get the freedom to shoot the action his way. Although the last couple of years, Hollywood has embraced the Asian action style, they didn't totally utilize our talents. That's why you can see the difference, the standards. At the same time, I have to give myself and Jet Li the credit for performing these choreographies. For people like Jet and myself, I think it's not really the choreography anymore, it's the way we deliver them. It could be choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping or whoever. Not to take anything away from Tony Ching or any top-notch action director from Asia, but most people acknowledge us as being the ultimate musicians. It doesn't matter anymore who composes the music. It's how we play it.

Hero opens Friday, Aug. 27

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