October Edition 2004
 
 
 
 
Cert: 18
Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke, Radha Mitchell
Directed by: Tony Scott
Running Time: 146 minutes
John Creasy, a recently retired CIA agent, has decided to live the remainder of his life the way all ex-government employees seem-ingly do – as a miserable alcoholic.
Okay, so perhaps this isn’t necessarily the case in ‘real life’, but if we were for a minute to believe Hollywood’s take on the matter, it would seem that this is a by-the-textbook finale for superannuated government oper-atives. In Man On Fire, our protagonist (Denzel Washington) attempts to escape this sorry prerequisite of a lifestyle with the help of his old friend Rayburn (Christopher Walken), who gets him a job in Mexico City as a bodyguard for nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of a wealthy Mexican (Marc Anthony) and his American wife (Radha Mitchell).
At first Creasy can't stand the child, but the pair gradually develop something of an alliance. Just as things are starting to go well, Pita is kidnapped and held for ransom by some ne’er-do-wells, and in light of this rotten stroke of luck, John Creasy has only one option—to go and get her back.
Many stateside critics were not particularly impressed by Man On Fire, suggesting that director Tony Scott's film is all style and no substance. Although there may be a good deal of truth behind these accusations, the movie still has enough about it to surpass many lesser examples of big-budget action movies, with Denzel adding gritty bite to his otherwise fairly middling character. It looks as gorgeous as we’ve come to expect from a Tony Scott flick, and although the film’s various twists are predictable, they at least manage to keep things interesting throughout.
Tony Scott is still (in my humble opinion) striving to live up to the lofty standards he established for himself in his 1993 classic True Romance, and whilst there’s no doubting his talents (few have as attentive an eye for a camera shot) I can’t help but feel that a new approach to his movie subjects would bring out the very best in him—let’s hope his next offering, Domino, offers more in the way of solid story to assist his trademark visuals.

 
 

Cert: 12A
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk, Zhang Ziyi, Dao Ming, Donnie Yen
Directed by: Zhang Yimou Running Time: 99 minutes
Wow.
If ever a word were to so aptly evaluate a piece of cinema, this would surely be it.
Hero, first released in its native China in 2002, has (with a little help from a certain Quentin Tarantino) thrust itself upon the western world, and brought along with it massive anticipation and high levels of expectancy. Suffice to say, it effortlessly delivers on both counts.
The Story itself centres around a series of Rashomon-like flashback accounts, shaping the story of how one man defeated three assassins who sought to murder the most powerful warlord in pre-unified China. The solitary man in question, known simply as Nameless, is acted exquisitely by Jet Li, who (despite taking a huge pay cut to star in the film) delivers arguably his finest career performance. The three assassins he encounters, Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), and Sky (Donnie Yen) are equally as inspiring, delivering some of the most incredible martial arts sequences ever put to film, surpassing even the standards set by Ang Lee’s masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Even without the stunning fight sequences, the entire film is just an absolute joy to watch—some of the backdrops used look as if they’ve been lifted straight from the most prestigious of art galleries, whilst the size of the cast (most of which form the King’s horde of guards) and the amazing architecture used simply beggar belief. It’s no surprise that this is the most expensive Chinese film ever produced.
As beautiful as the film no doubt is, however, it isn’t just about visuals; quite the contrary, in fact. Feng Li and Bin Wang’s impeccably structured screenplay ensures that the wonderful story contained within flows like an absolute dream.
Every once in a while, I see a film which reaffirms my confidence in cinema as a progressive medium, one that still has so much more to offer to us, and it’s films like Hero that showcase the endless possibilities open to filmmakers the world over. It’s no surprise to see that more and more Hollywood-based creators are looking to the east for inspiration—make sure to catch a piece of the experience yourself!