Episodic saga from the first half of the 20th century follows Hero Hua from an ill-omened June day in his youth to a showdown 17 years later with a disaffected member of his martial-arts school, a Japanese named Invincible. Tensions between Chinese and Japanese, plus U.S. racism, mark the tale. Hero marries Jade, leaves her in China when he goes to America as an indentured servant, rebels against cruel labor conditions, and is joined by her in New York City where she has twins. Jump ahead 16 years: their son Sword comes to New York looking for his father. There, Sword hears many stories of his father, which we see in flashbacks, and the stage is set for the battle with Invincible. (Source: IMDb) ~~ Adapted from the manhua series “Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword” (中華英雄) by Ma Wing Shing (馬榮城). Edit Translation
- English
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Norsk
- Native Title: 中華英雄
- Also Known As: Jung wa ying hong , Zhōng Huá Yīng Xíong
- Director: Andrew Lau
- Screenwriter: Manfred Wong
- Genres: Wuxia
Cast & Credits
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![Nicholas Tse in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Nicholas Tse in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Nicholas Tse Main Role -
![Ekin Cheng in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Ekin Cheng in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Ekin Cheng Main Role -
![Shu Qi in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Shu Qi in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Shu QiMuSupport Role -
![Anthony Wong in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Anthony Wong in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Anthony Wong"Pride"Support Role -
![Sam Lee in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Sam Lee in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Sam Lee“Fire”Support Role -
![Francis Ng in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)]( "Francis Ng in A Man Called Hero Hong Kong Movie (1999)")
Francis Ng"Invincible"Support Role
Photos
Reviews
The story takes place early on in China, then mostly in the United States, with a side trip to Japan. The narrative is constantly broken up by the use of flashbacks telling Hero's story which I found distracting. There were times it was hard to tell what time the characters were in and where they were located. Characters twenty years older tended to look almost the same as they did when they were younger to further confuse the issue.
It took a while to figure out the central conflicts were other than Hero being born under a “death star” which means he had to be a loner who wanted to be alone to keep his loved ones safe. Turns out a shady Japanese ninja and his henchmen wanted the kung fu secret of Hero's master which pitted Invincible and his ninja crew against Hero. It’s a martial arts movie which means they don’t need much of a reason to fight, but it’s always helpful to have a believable reason.
A Man Called Hero boasted a stellar cast though few had much screen time. It truly seemed a waste of Shu Qi, Ken Lo, and Yuen Biao. Bit characters became important and seemingly important characters dropped out of sight. There was a dearth of character development outside of Hero's and even then, we're missing out on nearly 20 years of story. It's hard to care about characters who only spent a few minutes on screen. Even the father-son relationship felt hollow. There were a lot of major plot holes that were never filled.
The special effects were very good, especially when the shape shifting ninjas who were dressed like chauffeurs battled Hero and his buddy Shadow. In a movie with so little character development, it would have benefited from more stunning action scenes than the few it had.
A Man Called Hero was mildly diverting but there wasn't enough depth or bright shiny objects to keep my attention through much of it. If you are a fan of Ekin Cheng, this particular manhua and know the story, or even a CGI buff, you might enjoy it. Kung fu enthusiasts may be disappointed.
