Quentin Tarantino has gone to bat for several movies over the years that might have gone overlooked, including one of the best wuxia movies of all time. In 2002, it seemed like a wuxia movie would be a massive pickup for any studio, thanks to the Oscar success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.
However, when a wuxia film that even surpassed that Oscar contender was released in 2002, Miramax picked it up and then sat on the film for almost two years. It made no sense why the studio wouldn’t release it in America, and Quentin Tarantino finally stepped up and told the executives they needed to release it. He was right, and it was a massive success.
Hero Was Only Released In America Because Quentin Tarantino Demanded It
In 2002, Zhang Yimou directed and released his wuxia film, Hero, in China. The movie stars Jet Li as an unnamed warrior involved in a planned assassination attempt of Ying Zheng, who will become the first emperor, Qin Shihuang. The warrior then explains the story of what led to this moment and the assassins involved in the plot.
The movie was a massive success when it was released. At the time, it was the most expensive project China ever made, and then it ended up paying that off by becoming one of the highest-grossing movies in China’s box office history. Hero grossed $11.8 million in the first seven days of its Chinese release.
According to reports, Hero opened at 200 theaters across the nation and broke records at every single one. The film was then nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, although it lost out to Germany’s Nowhere in Africa. Then, for some reason, Miramax sat on it and wouldn’t release it in the United States.
This brought out Quentin Tarantino. Anyone who has followed his career knows that Tarantino got his start working in a video store, where he fell in love with all genres of films. However, he had an intense passion for martial arts and kung fu movies. After releasing his love letter to the genre with Kill Bill, he went to bat for Hero.
Tarantino finally got his way, and Hero ended up being released in American theaters two years after its Chinese release, on August 27, 2004. Tarantino said that Miramax had lost their faith in the movie and wanted to make significant changes if it planned to release it. Tarantino made the studio a deal they couldn’t pass up:
“”I had to fight for it with Miramax. I think they lost faith in it and everything. And I thought that HERO was an absolute masterpiece, so I fought with them not to cut it. Not to bring it down, but to keep it the same length as when I saw it. And finally they agreed if I would present it. So I got in touch with Zhang Yimou and he was cool with that. Yeah, he was as happy as a clam.”
One thing that really helped Hero stand out was that it wasn’t just Let Li delivering great martial arts fight choreography. Joining him in the film are Tony Leung, Maggie Chung, Donnie Yen, and Zhang Ziyi, an all-star lineup of martial arts legends.
Hero Ended Up As The First Chinese-Language Movie To Top American Box Office
Quentin Tarantino was exactly right in his feelings about Hero. While Miramax lost faith in the movie and wanted to change it, Tarantino convinced them to release it in its original form, and it was a massive success in America. After breaking records in China, Hero did the same thing in U.S. theaters.
While Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a massive success story when it was released, it never hit the top of the box office charts. While the Ang Lee movie grossed $213 million worldwide, its best weekend position was only as high as 4th in the box office charts. Hero only made $176 million worldwide, but it did something that Crouching Tiger couldn’t do.
On the weekend of its release, Hero became the first-ever foreign language movie to ever hit number one on the North American weekend box office charts, with an $18 million take. It held the number one spot for one more week, with an $8.8 million second week take, and then held on in the top 40 until Thanksgiving weekend.
As for its daily numbers, Hero was number one from August 27 until September 9, when Resident Evil: Apocalypse eclipsed it.
Hero Challenges Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon As Wuxia’s Best Genre Film
When Ang Lee released Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, it was like nothing that most American moviegoers had ever seen. This is the film that really introduced the fantastical aspects of wuxia to many American fans. Wuxia itself refers to martial arts heroes who live by specific codes. In many cases, fight scenes are more fantastical.
When Hollywood released Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it blew audiences away, and it ended up a tremendous success. The film earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It won for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
It isn’t fair to say it was a success because it was the first of its kind in Hollywood, but that aspect did play into its reputation. While Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a great movie, Hero was just that much better.
Hero was more of a mythological story and played a lot more into the ideas of what it means to be a hero than even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Both movies have incredible fight choreography, and while the first movie was incredibly fantastical, Hero seemed a little more realistic in fitting with the story.
Both movies are beloved, with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 88% audience score. Meanwhile, Hero has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and an 87% audience rating. Both are great movies and deliver incredible action, but Hero deserves its spot at the top of the best wuxia movies, alongside its more famous contemporary.
