Favorite Characters: Broken Sword (Hero)

First off, here’s my A Little TLC(w) addition to my Hero review:  “Recommend?  In General – Absolutely, yes.  It’s undeniably artsy and can be a little pretentious, but this gorgeous film features an interesting narrative, great acting, and a stunning color palette.  Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Yes, yes, yes.  I really love Broken Sword, and despite having his dialogue dubbed, Leung tears it up in this movie.”  Now that that’s taken care of?  Broken Sword (some spoilers.)

As with most things in Hero, Broken Sword is hard to pin down precisely, because we see several different versions of him, only one of which is the real thing.  Nameless’s original story paints him as a brilliant swordsman, an artist as well as a killer, who writes the secret of his swordplay within the lines of his calligraphy.  He’s still in love with Snow despite three years’ of distance between them, and it’s that love that makes him lash out when he sees unavoidable proof of Snow’s continued affection for Sky.  He plays mind games to hurt her, and they result in his death.  A passionate genius, but impulsively emotional.  Meanwhile, the Emperor’s supposition about Broken Sword sees him as far more noble.  Still a brilliant swordsman, this Broken Sword is a dedicated lover, in sync with Snow in all things.  Although Nameless only needs one of them for his scheme to work, Broken Sword and Snow agree to die together, both sacrificing their lives to further Nameless’s aim of assassinating the Emperor – and if she ultimately goes instead of him, it’s only because her sword is faster than his in delivering a non-fatal wound to keep him from meeting Nameless in combat.

There are elements of both of these characterizations in the real Broken Sword.  Still brilliant with both a sword and a brush.  Still impulsive, but in a much quieter, subtler way.  Still a dedicated lover, still willing to die for what he believes in.  But there’s an important aspect missing from the false Broken Swords – over the years, the assassin has become a pacifist.  He’s particularly steadfast in his belief that the Emperor shouldn’t be killed, feeling that there’s no other way to unite the kingdoms, but he’s learned to shy from the sword altogether.  This is the reason he and Snow have drifted from each other, nothing to do with infidelity, and though he still loves her more than nearly anything in the world, he won’t bend when it comes to his belief in bringing the kingdoms together.

A pacifist assassin – not too many wuxia films have one of those!  Broken Sword is still and strong, drawing fortitude from a well deep within himself.  His love is enduring, and there’s only one ideal he prizes more dearly than that, but it’s the one thing standing between him and the one he loves.  Faced with the choice, he can do nothing but follow what he believes, endeavoring until the end to make her see what he sees.

I can’t quite remember how the order went, but this was either the first or second movie I saw Leung in (it’s between this one and Infernal Affairs,) and I was completely captivated by him.  He and Maggie Cheung aren’t the best martial artists in the film – when you have an extended scene of Jet Li and Donnie Yen fighting each other?  Forget about it – but their acting is on a whole other level.  In every iteration of the story, Snow and Broken Sword are its soul.  They’re fire and water, Broken Sword fluid and calming in the wake of Snow’s heat (I know this write-up is about Broken Sword, but it’s really hard to discuss one without bringing in the other.)  And I just love how, of all the warriors in the film, the one who uses his sword the least is still so strong, so sure in his resolve.  In Leung’s hands, Broken Sword carries himself with such a quiet dignity, overflowing with love for both his lover and his country, but he’s never diminished for that love.  I could watch him all day – so, so masterfully done.

Hero (2002, PG-13)

Although I’ve talked about this movie before, I’ve never reviewed it, and it’s high time I remedy that.  I’ll own to not having seen a ton of wuxia, but I generally enjoy the films I’ve seen in the genre, and this one is easily my favorite (I know – even more than Ashes of Time!)  Here’s to this really beautiful piece of cinema (spoilers for the chief narrative device.)

In ancient China, the emperor of Qin, one of a number of warring kingdoms, is attempting to unite them into one land, but the ruthless bloodiness of his efforts has resulted in widespread hate throughout the kingdoms and many attempts on his life.  When a man known as Nameless kills the three most notorious assassins who’ve attacked the emperor, he is invited to the palace to tell the emperor his tale of how he accomplished such a feat.  But the lines between tale and truth are not absolute, and the emperor begins to doubt the veracity of Nameless’s tale.

Other than its crazily-beautiful stylized fighting, this film is probably best-known for its narrative construction and the way its visuals help realize that concept.  Here, the same stories/flashbacks are told multiple times by different narrators, with important differences each time.  Separating out the truths, lies, and suppositions is a careful business, rolling out slowly over the course of the movie.  Each telling is given its own color scheme, which is simply stunning to look at.  I love how even nature follows director Zhang Yimou’s vision.  The fight amid a whirlwind of fallen leaves in the red sequence, the fight across the surface of a mirror-still lake in the red sequence, the lushness and growth in the green sequence – there’s such a gorgeous harmony running through the entirety of each section.  I remember how blown away I was at the first shift when I initially saw the film years ago.  In an instant, the movie went from lovely and enjoyable to pretty amazing.  Really interesting storytelling that plays out exquisitely on the screen.

The action is fantastic, and right up my alley.  For my own personal preferences, I like my wuxia cool and hyper-stylized but not too far outside the realm of reality, and even though the characters do plenty of things that are clearly impossible – like Flying Snow deflecting arrows with her robes or the aforementioned fight on the surface of a lake – they don’t look as out-there as, say, the wire-fu in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (no offense to that movie; I just prefer the style here.)  All the actors bring it hard in the action scenes, but they bring it with their performances as well.  As Nameless, Jet Li is the story’s guiding force, and he plays the role with quietly-intelligent intensity.  Daoming Chen does a stellar job as the Qin emperor, Donnie Yen is memorable in his relatively small role as the assassin Sky, and Ziyi Zhang also delivers in a smaller role.  But for me (no surprise if you’ve read my earlier write-up on the movie,) this film is all about Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai as assassins/lovers Flying Snow and Broken Sword.  It was one of, possibly the first film I saw Leung in and definitely the first film I saw Cheung in, and they’re just everything.  I can’t take my eyes off them in any scene they’re in – such smart, soulful performances, sizzling with this chemistry that’s just phenomenally understated and yet still nearly melts my screen.  So.  Much.  Love.

Warnings

Stylized wuxia violence and brief sexual content.

Relationship Spotlight: Flying Snow & Broken Sword (Hero)

It was only a matter of time before these two appeared.  While I can't say I'm a huge wuxia fan (I enjoy the films I've seen, but I don't seek it out,) Hero is a slam dunk.  The acting is terrific, the story is layered and affecting, the art direction is gorgeous, and the wire-fu never crosses the line from cool to ridiculous.

But today's post isn't about Hero as a whole - it's about Flying Snow and Broken Sword.  The film's protagonist, Nameless, meets this legendary pair of assassins, and they go on to play a significant role in the story.  Right off the bat, we're given an assortment of both hard and soft edges.  They're lethal killing machines.  They're artists and teachers at a calligraphy school.  They've tried to take out the Emperor himself.  They're lovers.  And, given the unreliable narrative, they're pretty hard to pin down.  The same event plays out three times in different ways, each one offering a different version of their relationship.  Is their love pure or possessive?  Are they rash or thoughtful?  Is their match equal or uneven?

The red section (each iteration of the scene uses its own palette) seethes with tension and resentment, depicting lovers who've been together too long and have fallen out.  Their home life is marked by a heavy distance, and yet neither can cut the other loose.  Broken Sword lashes out, and Flying Snow responds in kind.  In the blue section, however, they're almost wholly wrapped up in one another, living and dying for each other and as one.  When I think of the term "soulmate," this is the image I conjure up.  (Also, the blue section has one of the loveliest, most emotional love scenes I've ever seen.). Between these opposing portrayals lies the white section, in which Flying Snow and Broken Sword are partners in the truest sense of the word.  While they mean fathoms to one another and fight as if they share the same body, each has their own mind that doesn't always align with the other's.  They aren't one another's entire world, and they clash when they feel it's necessary.

So, what can we really tell of them?  We know that, in many ways, Flying Snow is stronger than Broken Sword.  Her drive burns brightly within her, propelling her forward.  She's ready for drastic action, which she sometimes takes too impulsively.  Quieter, stiller Broken Sword often defers to her; he's found a place for himself in her life.  However, he isn't a mere extension of her, doesn't fall in line at her every word.  He's not opposed to standing up to his more outspoken lover, and he defends his own views with soft but determined resolve.

And of course, they're played by Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai of, among other things, In the Mood for Love.  This movie was the first time I saw them onscreen together, and I knew I was watching something special.  They're so completely in sync, creating three distinct dynamics for the different versions of their relationship, and each feels perfectly organic.  Whenever they share a scene, I can't take my eyes off them.