Hero (2002)

Zhang Yimou's 2002 wuxia film Hero stars Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, and Donnie Yen and was directed, co-written, and produced by him. The film is partially inspired by the account of Jing Ke's murder attempt on the King of Qin, which took place in 227 BCE during the Warring States era. Christopher Doyle did the cinematography, while Tan Dun created the musical composition.

On October 24, 2002, Hero was initially launched in China. It was the most costly endeavor and one of China's highest-grossing films at the time. Miramax bought the film's distribution rights in the United States, but the film's release was delayed by nearly two years. On August 27, 2004, Quentin Tarantino persuaded Miramax to release the picture in American cinemas. The critical response to the film was overwhelmingly good. It was the first Chinese-language film to debut at No.1 at the box office in the United States, where it remained for two weeks, grossing $53.7 million in the US and $177 million worldwide. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but Nowhere in Africa won instead.

Detailed information:

Release date: Dec 19, 2002 (China)
Directors: Zhang Yimou, Shaudi Wang
Screenwriters: Zhang Yimou, Feng Li, Bin Wang, Shaudi Wang

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299977