Main Cast: Ekin Cheng, Shu Qi, Kristy Yang, Yuen Biao
Release Year: 1999
Country: HK
Run Time: 118 minutes
Plot
In 1998, Andrew Lau's groundbreaking smash hit The Storm Riders came out of nowhere and resurrected the ailing Hong Kong film industry. Lau's follow-up, using much of the same cast and crew, is another martial arts epic set largely in New York's Chinatown. The film opens in the early 20th century with a young Hero Wah (Ekin Cheng) going to study under Master Pride (Anthony Wong). When he returns to his parents, he learns that they have been murdered by a band of evil Westerners. After impregnating his wife Jade (Kristy Yang), Hero Wah ventures to New York in search of his parents' killers. Sixteen years later, Hero's son Sword Wah (Nicholas Tse) along with family friend Sang (Jerry Lamb), arrive at Ellis Island in search of Hero's dad. Once the tearful reunion finally takes place, much of the rest of the story is related through flashbacks involving a fearsome fight with Japanese ninjas and the death of Jade at the hands of the ninja ring leader. The film climaxes a la Alfred Hitchcock or Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) with a battle to the death against the ninja grand master at the Statue of Liberty. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Review
Fans of director Andrew Lau's past films, such as The Storm Riders and The Duel, know just what to expect from his 1999 release A Man Called Hero. Not only does this film feature similar CGI-soaked, pumped-up, high-flying kung fu action scenes, but many of the same actors as well. What fans may not be anticipating is that this is one of the director's most mature and personal films. After a perfect comic-book style opening sequence, the film does not take off as fast as the audience may expect. It actually is not until an hour into the film that we get our first taste of action as Hero (Ekin Cheng) and his brother Shadow (Yuen Biao) battle a group of wall-climbing Japanese ninjas. While the bombastic action scenes can seem out of place next to the film's quiet tale of Chinese immigrants in early America, Lau and Manfred Wong's script holds everything neatly in place by telling the story through a series of cleverly made flashbacks. A Man Called Hero kicks into action overdrive during the final act. The climatic fight between Hero and the renegade martial artist Invincible (Francis Ng) is so exciting, one can see that it inspired the finale of Bryan Singer's first X-Men film. For a director who has often been accused of making films with far more style than substance, Andrew Lau shows with A Man Called Hero that the concept of an intriguing, intimate story is not out of his cinematic reach, and reinforces the fact that he is one of foreign cinema's most gifted filmmakers. ~ Jason Gibner, All Movie Guide
Jerry Lamb - Sang; Anthony Wong - Master Pride; Francis Ng - Ninja Master; Mark Cheng; Sam Lee
Credit
Lee Pik-kwan - Costume Designer, Andrew Lau - Director, Pang Fat - Editor, Manfred Wong - Executive Producer, Barbie Tung - Executive Producer, John Chu - Executive Producer, Chan Kwong-wing - Composer (Music Score), Wong Ka-nang - Composer (Music Score), Andrew Lau - Cinematographer, Raymond Chow - Producer, John Chu - Producer, Centro Digital Pictures - Sound Special Effects, Manfred Wong - Screenwriter
In 1914, Hero Hua is given the Red Sword (his family heirloom) and accepted by Pride as a disciple after passing a test set by Pride. When he returns home, he discovers that his family had been murdered by foreigners for opposing opium trading. That night, Hero breaks up the foreigners' party and kills them for revenge. He flees China after bidding his love interest Jade farewell and sails to America.
16 years later, Hero's childhood friend Sheng and Hero's son Sword Hua arrive in America. They meet Monk Lohan in China House in Chinatown and hear news about Hero. Lohan tells them of his meeting with Hero while they were onboard the ship for America and their experiences as labourers in Steel Bull Canyon. They travel to Jade's grave later and Sheng tells Sword of how he and Jade travelled to America 16 years ago in search of Hero as well as their reunion and the subsequent marriage of Hero and Jade in America.
Sheng and Sword meet Hero's elder disciple brother Shadow, who tells them of their skirmish with some Japanese Ninjas and the story behind Sword's birth. Sword and his twin sister were born in China House amidst a blaze set by the ninjas. Sword's sister was taken away shortly after her birth by the traitor Bigot and no news have been heard of her since then. Shadow also tells them of Hero's encounter with a fortune teller, who told Hero that he was born under the "Star of Death" and will be condemned to a life of loneliness. Lastly, Shadow tells them of their teacher Pride's duel with Invincible in Japan for the rightful possession of the martial arts manual "China Secret". Pride transferred all of his powers to Hero before his death.
At China House, the Boss, along with Sword, Shadow and the others, plans to liberate the labourers at Steel Bull Canyon. They disguise themselves as an opera troupe and infiltrate the Canyon. They catch the American supervisors off guard with their surprise attack and succeed in freeing the Chinese labourers there. Lohan is killed in action and Sword is threatened at gunpoint by Bigot when he confronted Bigot on the whereabouts of his twin sister. The long-lost Hero Hua appears at the critical moment and joins in the battle, defeating the Americans and killing Bigot. However, his daughter's whereabouts are still unknown.
Sword Hua is happy to see his father for the first time after being awed by the various stories about his father. However, Hero maintains a cold attitude towards his son and constantly keeps a distance away from Sword. Hero persistently believes that he was born under the Star of Death and he would lose his loved ones and spend the rest of his life in solitude. Just then, Invincible arrives in America to finish the duel with Pride and since Pride had died, Invincible turns on Pride's successor Hero. Hero and Invincible have a spectacular duel atop the Statue of Liberty and eventually Hero emerges the victor after slaying Invincible. Before the film ends, Sword and Sheng prepare to leave America while Hero observes them from a distance.
