The movie Hero explores the well-known notion that there is more than one side to every truth. It also offers a lesson in the concept that the good of many often outweighs the good of the few.

The story opens in ancient China. The country is divided into kingdoms that occassionally go to war with one another. The King of Qin (Daoming Chin) seeks to unite the land, but his method is to ruthlessly conquer all who oppose him. The King's actions have generated such hatred that he can no longer leave his palace for fear of assassination. In fact, even within his own palace, he has engineered his living chamber so that no one can come within 100 paces without permission.

One day, a warrior comes to the King's city. This warrior (Jet Li) has so dedicated his life to the study of combat that he doesn't even have a name. Nameless, as he is called, brings with him a fantastic tale. It would seem that he has manged to kill the three most powerful assassins in all of China, each of whom had tried and failed to kill the King of Qin.

Nameless is commanded to sit 100 paces from the King and recount his tale. As his story unfolds, the King is so impressed that he becons Nameless to come close, until finally the warrior sits a mere 10 paces away.

The question is, is Nameless really a hero for the land of Qin, or has the vanquishing of the three deadly assassins simply been part of a clever plot to get close enough to the King to kill him? The King is not foolish and also considers these possibilities. Still, he allows the warrior to come ever close, perhaps following the same compulsion as those who run their fingers through a candle flame.

The stories Nameless tells are accompanied by flashbacks (drawing obvious comparisons to the film Rashomon). The King's interpretations of the stories are also told through flashbacks. One of the great joys of the film is how the complete visual tone of each flashback perfectly compliments the mood the storyteller tries to convey. Characters also become more, or less, sympathetic depending upon the version of the story -- including Nameless and the King.

Hero is made in the style of many Asian martial arts films, meaning that characters routinely defy gravity through the use of intricate wire work. Many audiences, unfamiliar with the genre, are put off by this style. Truth be told, I'm much more of a fan of "realistic" fight scenes myself (by "realistic," I mean scenes that rely not on the wires, but on the athletic ability of the actors). However, Hero tells its story in such a way that the fantastical fights make perfect sense. These are people telling fables, and as such, they deserve to be larger-than-life.

Also, the fight scenes don't simply rely on wire acrobatics, but use that as just one brush stroke on a larger canvas. Take, for example, a scene taking place in the fall, among a grove a trees. Leaves cover the ground and as the two combatants take to the skies, the leaves swirl and spin through the air as though eager to join in the fray.

Hero will draw inevitable comparisons to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, however, the comparison is really only that they are both introductions to more serious storytelling within the martial arts genre, something that Western audiences are not used to seeing. Hero rises above the genre to tell an intriguing story that bend preconceptions of good and evil. This is the sort of film that not only transcends the genre, but lends it more credibility than audiences might otherwise pay it.

Still, for everything that Hero does right, the film is not without its flaws. The broken pace set by the numerous flashbacks hinders the storytelling and some of the characters could have benefited from stronger development and more screen time. Even so, Hero is a well made and satisfying experience and has the potential to appeal to a much wider audience than just fans of the martial arts genre.