Overview: From director and writer Corey Yuen (Righting Wrongs, Red Cliff, The Transporter) comes this high-octane tale of criminal gangs, betrayal and greed.

When brothers Ma Wing-jing (Taksehi Kaneshiro) and Ma Tai-cheung (Yuen Wah) flee their impoverished homeland to seek their fortune in Shanghai, they at first find more grinding penury when they are forced to work as lowly coolies, however Wing-jing soon becomes embroiled in the seedy world of big city triads and his once insignificant life becomes an arrogant lust for power.

This fabulous remake of Cheh Chang’s classic The Boxer from Shantung (1972) from the legendary Shaw Brothers studios is given a ’90s makeover chock full with stunts, fights and awe inspiring action sequences. A must for collectors of martial arts cinema.

Blu-ray Verdict: As noted, ostensibly a remake of the ’70s Shaw Brothers flick BOXER FROM SHANTUNG, HERO doesn’t really follow that film too closely, instead going off in its own direction. Thankfully it is a lot better because of that.

The film is nothing new, yet another variant on the old and tired YOJIMBO plot line, but it succeeds through the sheer talent involved in the production. Not only are superb actors involved in front of the camera, but sure hand director Corey Yuen – whose martial arts scenes always bring excitement – keeps things moving along at a fine pace and with plenty of excellent action scenes to keep the momentum going.

The film is set during the same type of period as Jackie Chan’s MIRACLES although things are kept relatively low key, because the budget doesn’t seem so big on this one.

The lead is taken by the young, occasionally charming Takeshi Kaneshiro in one of his biggest early roles and he does an okay job with it. However, Kaneshiro is overshadowed by genre veteran Yuen Biao who is definitely the real star of the show in this one.

Biao takes the role of a mob boss by the name of Tam See; despite his high status as a gangster, he’s an honorable man who quickly strikes up a friendship with our youthful hero. Biao is excellent in this film and it’s a wonder he isn’t more used in recent Hong Kong flicks. Once again he creates an immensely likable persona while at the same time excelling in the fight scenes.

As for the battles, they’re plentiful and always fun, although sometimes the speedy camera work gets a little headache-inducing. An early fight for a watch atop a galloping horse really pushes the laws of gravity to their extremes and it’s amazing to see how the cameramen manage to film all the different angles so well.

Things then quieten down before becoming really violent in the last half hour. A staged assassination attempt on Kaneshiro is one of the most painful things I’ve witnessed in Chinese cinema (especially the horse; poor horse) and recalls the ending of BOXER OF SHANTUNG as our hero is impaled, blinded, and burnt.

However the film goes on for another twenty minutes, offering a nice twist ending and a massive gun battle at the movie’s climax which is top-notch stuff. The image of a machine gun-toting Yuen Biao rising from a coffin has to be one of the most iconic cinematic images of all time.

Finally, things move to a yard full of bamboo-scaffolding for a three-way battle which is so gorily over-the-top, you’ll think you’re watching a horror film instead. Eyes are gouged out, bodies repeatedly impaled and blood sprays all over the place in this splatter battle which really has to be seen to be believed; as a horror fan I loved it and it certainly succeeds in being dramatic!

Mega-villain Yuen Tak – whose appearance seems to be styled on Jet Li in ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 3 – doesn’t really get a look in in the martial arts scenes until this last battle but he’s really phenomenal and it’s the best action of the film. To add to the entertainment value, Yuen Wah is also on hand, and anybody who’s seen DRAGONS FOREVER and EASTERN CONDORS will remember this little mustachioed guy as a real ass-kicker!

Unfortunately he’s relegated to a comedic role here and doesn’t get to do any actual fighting, but it’s great to see him nonetheless, especially in the sympathetic part he has. And so, in closing, with lots of twists and turns and innovation and style, HERO is a highly enjoyable film that certainly blows the Jet Li-starrer of the same name right out of the water. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

HD Transfer from the Original Negative in 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono Cantonese with Newly Translated English Subtitles
2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono English Dub
Audio Commentary by Kung Fu Experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Alternate Shots From the Taiwanese Version
English Trailer
Hong Kong Trailer
Gloss O-Ring slipcase with brand-new artwork from R.P. Kung Fu Bob O’Brien
Booklet Notes - Do We Need Another Hero? Examining Hero (1997), Cory Yuen’s 1990s Remake of Classic The Boxer of Shantung (1973) by Andrew Graves
Double-sided foldout Poster