Hero
Following in the footsteps of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero uses much of the same wire tricks to create a mixture of marital arts and ballet that results in pure movie poetry. Director Yimou Zhang and cinematographer Christopher Doyle have painted a pageantry of colors, landscapes, and bodies in motion that is simply a feast for the eyes. But Hero is more than just a pretty picture; the film tackles the existential question of what it is to be a hero—in war, in love, and in search of the truth. In fact, underneath what was perhaps supposed to be a piece of Chinese nationalist propaganda actually resides an extremely compelling anti-war film. And sneaking that in might just be Zhang's greatest accomplishment.