Hero (2002) Dir: Yimou Zhang

Spellbindingly beautiful Chinese movie.
The plot:
Jet Li plays Nameless (that's what he calls himself!), an apparent hero for the Qin King, who has vanquished the three most deadly assassins, Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow, whose aim in life was to assassinate the King.
The King demands to know how such an innocuous seeming individual as Nameless could overcome such fearsome opponents, and has him recount his tale, occasionally allowing him to move closer to where he sits on his throne.
But the King has made a mistake, for Nameless is not a loyal disciple for Qin, but himself an assassin, who has hatched a dastardly plan to assassinate the King himself, with the help of his three collaborators, the assassins he claims to have killed.
It sounds more complicated than it is, and the structure works.
Described as Rashomon-like in composition - a movie I must make an effort to watch at some point - the movie uses flashbacks to recount a tale of intrigue and betrayal, all stunningly shot.
It truly is beautiful to watch, director Yimou Zhang, who also helmed the equally sumptuous House of Flying Daggers, having a real eye for artistic flair.
With spectacular stunt work and fight sequences, employing wire work in a way that simply adds to the air of majesty, this is just breathtaking movie making.
Fantastic.

5 out of 5

Drunken Master (1978) Dir: Woo-ping Yuen

An early outing for Jackie Chan, here, somewhat ruined by the crushingly awful dubbing on the version I watched.
The plot:
Chan plays Freddie Wong, an obnoxious young prick-end who irritates everyone he meets to the point that they want to fight him.
Restaurant owners, women, crooks.
Everyone.
Tired of the antics of his son, Wong's father sends him to Beggar So, the Drunken Master, to teach him the error of his ways.
Wong is initially reluctant due to the Masters' reputation for working students so hard they wind up crippled, but soon comes around to the Master's teachings as he sees improvement. Finally, after much preparation, Wong is ready to fight off the villains who wish harm to his father and the family business.
It's tough for me to give this a fair review as the dubbing was so tiresome I began to lose interest. All that can be attested is that the fighting was quite excellent, some of the best I've seen in a Jackie Chan movie, with incredibly complex sequences choreographed to perfection, and only very limited use of wire-work.
Plot-wise, it's drivel of course and, as ever, some of the comedy doesn't translate particularly well, seeming remarkably juvenile but, if I were judging this on the fighting alone it would rate highly, but the talentless droogs doing the voice-over work killed this one stone dead here at Smell the Cult HQ.
Fighting: 5 out of 5.
Movie overall: 3 out of 5.

Shame.

House of Flying Daggers (2004) Dir: Yimou Zhang

From the director of Hero, Yimou Zhang, comes a sumptuous romantic martial arts fairytale that is by turns bewitching, violent and laced with romance.
The plot:
Set during the Tang dynasty in China (circa 600 - 900 A.D.), a narcissistic police officer, Jin, is sent to a brothel as part of an investigation into a rebel group, opposed to the government forces known as the House of Flying Daggers. Once there, Jin is enchanted by the beautiful dancing and martial arts prowess of a young blind woman. Captivated, he attempts to ravish her, but is interrupted when the police burst in and arrest both himself and the blind dancer. Imprisoned, Jin manages to free the dancer and they both flee. With the police hot on their heels, much fighting ensues and, just as all seems lost, a swarm of daggers fly through the air, slaying their attackers.
But who threw the daggers?
And precisely whose side is everyone on, anyway?
Beautifully shot, this is evocative, imaginative, artistic film-making of the highest order.
The stunt work is remarkable and, whilst some will quibble at the amount of wire-work used, this simply lends to the air of the fantastical that the director evokes.
Though occasionally getting bogged down in it's own romantic musings, as a love triangle manifests that can only end in bloodshed, still this is engaging, creative and simply gorgeous to look at.
Very good indeed.

4 out of 5