Hero (2002)
I was orphaned at a young age and was never given a name.
People simply called me "Nameless".
With no family name to live up to, I devoted myself to the sword.
I spent 10 years perfecting unique skills as a swordsman.
The King of Qin has summoned me to court,
for what I have accomplished has astonished the kingdom.
By order of his majesty,
we have traveled overnight to bring the warrior to see you, Prime Minister.
Sky, Snow and Broken Sword.
For 10 years these three assassins from Zhao ...
have repeatedly plotted to kill his majesty,
so he has not known a single peaceful night's sleep.
Today we discover that a hero from our great kingdom of Qin ...
has single-handedly wiped out the enemy.
From now on his majesty can once more sleep without fear!
His majesty's courtiers congratulate him.
Heaven has sent a great warrior to vanquish the assassins!
By his majesty's command, summon the warrior!
When you enter the palace,
always remain 100 paces from the throne ...
or you will be killed without question.
Please do not forget!
For 10 years,
no one's approached within 100 paces of the throne.
- Do you know why? - Assassins were everywhere.
Correct.
As long as there are assassins, I cannot remove my armor.
Now that you have rooted out this evil on our behalf,
what do you desire as a reward?
To rid great Qin of its enemies is my duty. I desire no reward.
In accordance with Qin law, you must be properly rewarded.
Sky's silver spear ...
has wounded untold numbers of our brave Qin warriors.
Pronounce my edict!
By order of his majesty, he who vanquishes the assassin Sky ...
will be awarded 1,000 pieces of gold and authority over 1,000 households.
Advance within 20 paces of the throne and drink with his majesty!
According to my informants, you are a citizen of Qin.
Your humble servant Nameless, Prefect of Lan Meng district.
A mere local Prefect! With authority over no more than 10 square miles!
This is the lowest rank of office in our kingdom.
What enabled you to overcome the three deadly assassins from Zhao?
I dealt with them one at a time.
Tell me in detail.
Perhaps your majesty has heard that Broken Sword and Snow were lovers?
Indeed I have.
And was your majesty aware ...
that they had not spoken to each other for three years?
Three years without words? Why was that?
Snow had spent one night with Sky as lovers.
Broken Sword took this to heart.
Why have I not heard about this?
It took your servant much effort to uncover this secret.
To create a rift between Snow and Broken Sword,
I had first to dispose of Sky.
I am beginning to fathom your strategy.
Your majesty is most perceptive.
What did you use to defeat Sky?
The sword.
Within Lan Meng it is my responsibility to arrest criminals.
On the fifth day of the sixth month Sky appeared in a chess house.
I had heard ...
that he was a lover of chess and music, and was a frequent visitor.
The seven elite guards from Qin Court ...
We have been trailing you for days. You are under arrest!
Reveal your weapon and identify yourself!
Halt!
The local Prefect. What can I do for you?
This region is under my control!
And?
You are a wanted criminal! I am here to arrest you!
Sir, would you be kind enough to play us another tune?
Martial arts and music share the same principles.
Both wrestle with complex chords and rare melodies.
We stood facing each other for a long time,
neither of us made a move,
while our combat unfolded in the depths of our minds.
How swift your sword must be!
I prided myself in knowing every corner of our land.
Yet I was unaware that ...
within the small district of Lan Meng there is such a talent like you.
Broken Sword.
Flying Snow.
By edict of his majesty:
the assassins Broken Sword and Flying Snow have always worked as partners.
He who eliminates either one of them ...
is awarded 10,000 pieces of gold and authority over 5,000 households.
Advance within 10 paces and drink with his majesty!
Three years ago Snow and Broken Sword stormed our palace together.
Three thousand soldiers were unable to resist them.
I have since had this great hall emptied, so there is nowhere to hide!
Are you saying that your sword was swifter than theirs combined?
No.
So how did you manage to overcome them?
I was disguised as a citizen of Zhao and went searching for them there.
It was rumored they were hiding in a small calligraphy school.
I arrived as your majesty's troops approached.
People fled in terror.
Only the students and their master remained.
Why have you come at such a time?
Who are you?
I am from a small province in Zhao.
My father's dying wish was to acquire a scroll from your prestigious school.
I fear this may be the last day of our school.
My honorable guest, whose calligraphy do you seek?
Master Broken Sword's.
Broken Sword's power was immediately apparent to me.
Rumor had it that his martial arts skills were rooted in his calligraphy.
In order to discover the swordsman,
I had first to study the calligrapher.
- Which character do you seek? - "Sword."
My honored guest is fond of swords?
I am merely fulfilling my father's last wish.
What dimension of scroll?
Eight feet.
A scroll of that size requires red ink.
Master wishes to borrow some red ink from the mistress.
Master wishes to borrow some red ink.
Has mistress heard my request?
Master wishes to borrow some red ink.
Tell him to come himself.
Your student respectfully requests some red ink.
Broken Sword had not even started on the scroll ...
when your majesty's troops arrived at the city gates.
Prepare!
Draw!
Your majesty's army has never lost a war ...
because they never underestimate their enemy. Their tactics are brilliant,
and the archers are peerless in their range and accuracy.
Wherever they venture their reputation precedes them.
Storm! Storm! Storm!
You must all remember ...
the arrows of Qin may be powerful.
They may penetrate our cities and destroy our kingdom.
But they can never annihilate our written words!
Today ...
you will all learn the true spirit of our art.
Storm! Storm! Storm!
The Zhao people, did they really not move?
People from Zhao are particularly strong in spirit.
You asked for the character "Sword." Why was it difficult to do?
There are normally 19 ways of writing this character.
What I requested from Broken Sword was the 20th variation.
Calligraphy and swordplay ...
both rely on merging the power of the wrist ...
with the spirit in the heart.
This 20th variation would reveal the essence of his swordsmanship.
To think that one character can be written 19 different ways!
How can people communicate when they do not understand each other?
Once I have conquered the six Kingdoms ...
and suppressed all other rebellious states,
I shall rid the country of these hopeless confusions,
keep one unified language for the whole land.
Wouldn't that be something?
Is your majesty not stopping after defeating the six Kingdoms?
The six Kingdoms are nothing!
I intend to lead our army to every corner of this land ...
until we have established a vast and powerful empire!
You must be mistress Flying Snow.
- Why are you leaving? - I am going to fend off the arrows.
You are not needed. Please retire.
The archers of Qin are legendary.
Mistress Snow may not be able to repel them on her own.
Storm! Storm! Storm!
You were quite brilliant.
Mistress Snow is far superior.
You have not come for the calligraphy.
Who are you?
I have brought something to show you.
Please meet me in the library at midnight.
- Beautiful calligraphy. - Beautiful swordplay.
But you have not seen me use my sword.
Without your sword this scroll would not exist.
Please meet me in the library at midnight.
I have something to show you.
While several hundred thousand Qin troops ...
were preparing for the next onslaught,
I spent the night contemplating the scroll,
hoping to discover the secret behind Broken Sword's skills.
You say this calligraphy contains the mystery of swordplay,
but I cannot see anything unusual here.
The brush and the sword are fundamentally connected.
Their mystery is only revealed to those who can perceive the connection.
- And you can? - Not entirely.
Then how were you able to challenge the two of them?
- Sky fell by your sword? - Yes.
Who are you? Why have you come?
I am a citizen of Qin. I have a message from Sky.
Speak.
Sky said he had always lived his life without burden or responsibility.
Only one person had ever touched his heart.
- Who? - Flying Snow.
Sky said he was certain Snow would avenge his death.
If you agree to a duel, meet me at the Qin army encampment tomorrow.
Leave now.
Go on!
I know you saw us!
I deliberately wanted you to see us!
You are no longer in my heart!
We are both very foolish.
I am not going to fight with you.
Please leave.
I am going to kill you and avenge my master!
Since you want to die, I shall assist you.
What are you laughing at?
What you did last night. It was unbelievably stupid.
When we fought, I could see that my plan had worked.
She was emotional and agitated, unable to focus.
I defeated her easily.
Who would have thought that Broken Sword and Snow ...
were so emotionally fragile.
You are saying that you won by setting them against each other?
Yes.
And the reason they became enemies was because they were jealous?
Yes.
Your story appears to make sense,
but in my opinion you have underestimated one person.
Who?
Me.
Would you like to know what kind of impression they made on me?
Three years ago, I had once fought them face to face.
I found them both honorable and exceptional,
hardly the narrow-minded people you say.
That is why Snow and Sky did not have an affair.
Snow and Broken Sword were not enemies.
In other words, your entire story is a lie!
Only one thing was true.
Sky must have known one of you.
Which one?
You.
I suspect you and Sky were allies.
You were able to defeat him for one reason only.
What reason?
He lost to you deliberately!
In order to assassinate me, the two of you staged a fight,
using my guards as witnesses.
Laying this trap was not difficult.
The hard part was in persuading Sky to place his life in your hands.
Your sword may be swift, but not enough to defeat Sky.
Yet he willingly fell under your blade.
What courage, what gallantry!
So Sky became your first accomplice.
Sky was a proud man, who regarded himself without equal in this land.
What made him think that you would succeed where he had failed?
Unless, in order to assassinate me,
you had spent the last 10 years honing a unique skill,
a lethal maneuver that no one can counter?
Having defeated Sky, you could already come within 20 paces of the throne.
Why did you need Broken Sword and Snow as well?
I suspect you have to be within 10 paces of your target to be effective.
So, you required one more accomplice to help you advance another 10 paces!
I believe that even though Broken Sword and Snow ...
had never met Sky.
They understood at once why he had agreed to your plan.
How far am I from the bookshelves?
- About 10 paces. - Good. Ten paces it is.
I only need one of you to help me. Please decide between yourselves.
Tomorrow morning, at the Qin army encampment.
How swift his sword is!
Yes.
Sky was one of the greatest warriors of our times.
Yet he was willing to give his life to this man.
That is why he has the ability to assassinate Qin's king.
We must go tomorrow.
To go is to die.
Then let us die together.
You are one step ahead of me.
I fear I have inflicted too deep a wound.
I should have been the one to go.
I want you to go on living.
If you died, how could I live?
Promise me you will live well when I have gone.
Say it!
I will.
Moon will soon be here to take care of you.
I should go.
Your servant Nameless, the Prefect of Lan Meng.
I have come to Zhao to catch this assassin.
Please let me fight her alone.
This is a dangerous criminal wanted by his majesty.
Now that she has been found, it is my duty to arrest her.
I have a prior agreement with the assassin to fight her alone.
If I am unable to succeed, please feel free to step in.
Please grant me permission to proceed.
Unsheathe your sword!
Make your move now!
I die willingly for our cause. Please make your move!
How swift your sword is!
I suspect you had a battle with Broken Sword as well.
Like the fight between you and Sky,
you and Broken Sword fought in the depth of your minds.
Except neither of you wanted to harm the other,
but were content to go through the honorable motions.
This was also a tribute to Snow.
Master asked me to give you his sword.
Why has he done this?
Master and Snow will always be together in life or in death,
and their swords will never be apart.
Master asked me to give you his sword to help assassinate Qin's king.
Sky, Broken Sword and Snow gave themselves in different ways,
in order that you could come within 10 paces of me.
All three were willing to entrust their lives to you.
Surely one can ask no more of a friend.
That is why you are the most dangerous assassin of them all!
- How did your majesty figure this out? - The candle flames in front of me ...
can sense your murderous intent.
The three of them, and you,
were all willing to die for your cause.
I am ashamed to say I cannot measure up to your courage!
Your majesty has seen through our plan.
I have only just worked it out.
Why else would I have allowed you to come this close?
A man from Qin would never try to kill me. Who are you?
I am a man of Zhao.
My family was killed by the Qin army.
Orphaned, I was taken in by a family here in Qin.
Ten years ago I discovered my real identity,
and decided to assassinate you.
So you are here on behalf of Zhao.
I understand now.
I presume you have perfected a lethal move?
Just as your majesty suggests, there is indeed such a move.
- And what is it? - Within 10 paces I cannot fail.
Within 10 paces? I congratulate you!
My guards are outside, 100 paces away,
while you are only 10 paces from me.
It would seem that I shall not escape my fate today.
And yet you hesitate?
Your majesty is most perceptive.
However,
you have also underestimated somebody.
- Who? - Broken Sword.
It was imperative that I proved to them ...
that my sword was not only swift, but perfectly accurate.
Within 10 paces I can strike with surgical precision.
The sword will enter and exit the body avoiding all vital organs,
so the wound is deep but not fatal.
I respectfully request one of you to take such a blow from me ...
in order to deceive Qin's king.
To take such a blow from you asks a great deal of us.
- How is Sky now? - Almost fully recovered.
He certainly had faith in your skills.
The security around the king is impenetrable. This is the only way.
The imperial guards are not worth a mention.
The King of Qin should have died three years ago.
What happened?
I did not go through with it.
The King of Qin must not be killed.
- Broken Sword said that? - Yes.
- Why? - I asked the same question.
What was his answer?
He was unwilling to explain on that day.
Sky, Snow, Broken Sword.
Of the three, only Broken Sword was my match.
That was why ...
what he said next ...
worried me greatly.
As long as I am alive I shall prevent you from assassinating the king.
I am willing to help you.
Three years ago, somebody wasted a golden opportunity.
This time, we must not fail.
Tomorrow morning, I shall meet you at the Qin encampment.
I would like to ask a favor.
Help me to fight him now.
Master!
What are you waiting for?
Although I had agreed to help Snow,
it did not seem honorable to attack Broken Sword.
I found myself unable to make a move,
although we both knew that ...
if we did not stop Broken Sword, we would have no chance of success.
Moon, stop!
You are no match for him! Let it go!
I knew you would do this.
Now you cannot stand in my way.
Even wounded I can still stop you.
In that case I shall have to kill you.
I worry I may have wounded him too deeply.
With mistress' medicine Master should be out of danger in a day.
- Have you delivered the medicine yet? - I tended Master's wound myself.
After the duel today, take my sword and follow the Qin army into court.
I will.
The Qin guards will not ill-treat a servant.
If the assassination is successful, return with a red flag.
If it fails, a yellow one.
If mistress meets with misfortune at the duel, what would be the point?
When I look down from heaven,
the red flag will bring a smile to my lips.
- How is Snow? - She is recovering.
I am here without her knowledge.
You once said as long as you are here you would try to stop me.
Abandon your plan to assassinate the king.
- Do you know I am from Zhao? - So am I.
- Does Qin intend to destroy Zhao? - Yes.
- Is the King of Qin an enemy of Zhao? - Yes.
Then whom do you speak for?
How can you call yourself a man of Zhao?
Snow asked me the same question once.
The year we met I was a wanderer with no home to call my own.
She was the daughter of the great general Zhao Zhen,
who lost his life during a battle against Qin.
Snow inherited his sword.
She had vowed to avenge her father's death. I wanted to help her.
Calligraphy and swordplay share the same source and principles.
So we practiced calligraphy every day,
in the hope that it would refine our skills, and increase our power.
Snow knew I had been rootless since childhood,
living nowhere and everywhere.
She often said to me, once we had succeeded in killing the king,
she would take me back to her home.
She said no swords existed there, and no swordsmen.
There would only be a man and a woman.
The truth of calligraphy has to be intuitively grasped.
It is the same with swordplay.
Both seek to return to a state of simplicity.
Gradually I began to understand.
Three years ago, I reached the peak of my training.
Snow felt it was time to attempt the assassination.
Together we stormed the palace.
Snow asked me why did I not go through with our plan.
I told her the King of Qin must not be killed.
This was something I had come to realize through studying calligraphy.
Because I spared the king, Snow turned her back on me.
- Please abort your plan. - No.
Was all your training motivated by hatred and revenge?
That's right.
For 10 years, I worked relentlessly without a moment's rest.
- What will it take to dissuade you? - You will have to kill me.
- So you are determined to go ahead? - Yes.
In that case I shall make you a gift of two words.
These words reflect what is in my heart. Please think again.
Moon, give my sword to the nameless hero.
Just as Snow and I will always be together,
our swords will never be apart.
Master Nameless,
even though I am only a lowly servant, please permit me a few words.
I have served my master since I was eight.
From him I learnt the martial arts and how to live with principles.
My master is never wrong.
What he wrote must be important.
Master Nameless, please consider his advice carefully.
Which two words did Broken Sword write?
"Our Land."
Broken Sword said for years there has been continuous warfare,
causing huge suffering to the people.
Only your majesty has the power to bring peace by uniting our land.
He hoped that for the sake of the greater good,
I would abandon my plan to kill you.
Broken Sword also said, "One person's pain is nothing ...
... when compared to the suffering of all."
The conflict between Zhao and Qin ...
is nothing when compared with peace for all.
Who would have thought an assassin would understand me the best!
Alone in my position I have endured endless criticism,
endless attempts on my life.
No one has ever grasped what I have been trying to do.
Even my own court regards me as a tyrant.
And yet, Broken Sword, a man I barely knew,
was able to see clearly,
what is truly in my heart.
I want to know,
without a sword, how do you intend to kill me?
By taking yours.
For 10 years this sword has accompanied me to every battle.
To have been understood by a man such as Broken Sword ...
allows me to face death without fear or regret.
Let the good of our country ...
guide your decision!
I have just come to a realization!
This scroll by Broken Sword contains no secrets of his swordsmanship.
What this reveals is his highest ideal.
In the first stage, man and sword become one and each other.
Here, even a blade of grass can be used as a lethal weapon.
In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand, but in the heart.
Even without a weapon,
the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces.
But the ultimate ideal is ...
when the sword disappears altogether.
The warrior embraces all around him.
The desire to kill no longer exists.
Only peace remains.
Your Majesty, I have now completed my mission.
Because of my decision today, many will die,
and your majesty will go on living.
A dead man begs you never to forget ...
the ultimate ideal for a warrior.
Nameless came within 10 paces of the king.
He could not have failed.
There can be only one explanation.
He must have given up willingly.
What did you say to him?
I wrote two words.
- Which two words? - "Our Land."
- Is that all there is in your heart? - There is also you.
- I don't believe you. - How can I convince you?
Draw your sword!
You have killed Nameless,
betrayed Sky, and destroyed Zhao.
Draw your sword!
When we first met, you asked me to draw my sword then.
- Is the sword the only answer? - I just want you to draw your sword.
Why did you not defend yourself?
So you would finally believe me.
I have always wanted to go home with you.
That will not happen now.
On your own, you must take good care of yourself.
Why didn't you block my sword?
Why didn't you block it?
Why didn't you?
No more struggle.
I shall take you home now,
to our home.
Your Majesty, permission to execute? Permission to execute?
Your Majesty, permission to execute? Your Majesty, permission to execute?
Permission to execution?
He conspired to assassinate.
This man cannot be trusted! He tried to kill you!
Do not spare him!
This is the sacred law of Qin!
If your majesty is to unite the land,
this man has to be made an example of!
Your Majesty, execute him!