Hero

Quentin Tarantino's latest release will remind viewers of Crouching Tiger | Andrew Coffin

Apparently, it took Quentin Tarantino's name above the title to get Hero, in its current form, into theaters. The Chinese import was released at home in 2002 and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award in 2003. Miramax, after acquiring the rights to U.S. distribution of Hero (a huge hit in China), reportedly wanted to trim from the film some elements considered too Eastern for American audiences. After months of jostling and negotiation, Hero arrived uncut with a "Presented by Quentin Tarantino" (the director took up the film's cause) tag added to its marketing materials.

Hero (rated PG-13 for stylized martial-arts violence and a scene of sensuality) will remind many of Ang Lee's 2002 hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with its acrobatic, gravity-free sword fights. Acclaimed director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern) makes his first foray into the Wuxia style—a martial-arts genre involving chivalric heroes with supernatural powers—with this tale of assassins intent on killing the King of Qin, a despotic ruler with plans to conquer and unite neighboring regions.