Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
Hero
2002
· Movie
· 94 min
B
MEANRANK
78/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #903
- IMDb #429
- Google retired #1879
- Rotten Tomatoes #479
- Metacritic #381
- Letterboxd #586
+9 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #492
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #874
- Metacritic Critics #380
- Metacritic Audience #632
- Criticker #2385
- Douban #891
- Kinopoisk #410
- AlloCiné #1803
- Trakt #856
Every rating
42–94
out of 100
Split
Lowest is Criticker on 42, highest is Rotten Tomatoes critics on 94. Critics average 90, everyone else 76.
See the films the platforms disagree about most →In ancient China, a nameless prefect earns an audience with the King of Qin by claiming to have defeated the kingdom's three most deadly assassins. He recounts his epic battles with these legendary warriors, but the king suspects his story may be a fabrication. The truth is revealed through competing narratives, exploring themes of sacrifice, honor, and the meaning of a unified China.
Details
- Director
- Zhang Yimou
- Writers
- Feng Li, Wang Bin, Zhang Yimou
- Studio
- Beijing New Picture Film Co. Ltd., China Film Co-Production, Elite Group Enterprises, Edko Films
- Released
- 19 December 2002
- Country
- Hong Kong, China
- Language
- Mandarin
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rated
- PG-13
- Budget
- $31.0M
- Box office
- $177.4M
- Awards
- 13 wins, 14 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (21) →
Awards & nominations
See all 27 →1 major award won · 13 wins from 27 nominations across 11 ceremonies
| Berlin International Film Festival 2002 | Alfred Bauer Prize | Zhang Yimou | Winner |
| Academy Awards 2002 | Best Foreign Language Film | Hero | Nominee |
| Berlin International Film Festival 2002 | — | Hero | Nominee |
| Golden Globe Awards 2002 | Best Foreign Language Film | Hero | Nominee |
| British Independent Film Awards 2002 | Best Foreign Independent Film | Hero | Nominee |
| Golden Bauhinia Awards 2002 | Best Supporting Actress | Zhang Ziyi | Nominee |
| Golden Bauhinia Awards 2002 | Best Cinematography | Christopher Doyle | Winner |
| Golden Rooster Awards 2002 | Best Director | Zhang Yimou | Winner |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
Christian films worth watching: conscience, Scripture, prayer and their costs
Sixteen films, with different starting points for biblical storytelling, difficult questions of faith and direct devotional encouragement.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
29 September 2026
Do critics and audiences actually disagree?
The size of the gaps, the films behind them and why a disagreement is more useful than choosing a side.
29 September 2026
Films rated 4.7 on Google: a 59-film archive
A historical selection, with a closer look at spectacle, sequels and what a high audience average leaves out.
29 September 2026
Films rated 4.8 on Google: a 56-film archive
Action, spectacle, family conflict and other very different reasons to encounter the same saved star average.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — Hero
×Full cast — Hero
×
27 awards — Hero
×
Berlin International Film Festival
2 nominations, 1 won
| Alfred Bauer Prize | Zhang Yimou | Winner |
| — | Hero | Nominee |
Academy Awards
1 nomination
| Best Foreign Language Film | Hero | Nominee |
Golden Globe Awards
1 nomination
| Best Foreign Language Film | Hero | Nominee |
Hong Kong Film Awards
14 nominations, 7 won
| Best Action Choreography | Tony Ching Siu-Tung | Winner |
| Best Art Direction | Huo Tingxiao and Yi Zhenzhou | Winner |
| Best Cinematography | Christopher Doyle | Winner |
| Best Costume Make Up Design | Emi Wada | Winner |
| Best Original Film Score | Tan Dun | Winner |
| Best Sound Design | Winner | |
| Best Visual Effects | Winner | |
| Best Actress | Maggie Cheung | Nominee |
| Best Director | Zhang Yimou | Nominee |
| Best Film | Hero | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Nominee | |
| Best Original Film Song | "Hero" from Hero by Zhang Yadong, Albert Leung and Faye Wong | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | Li Feng, Zhang Yimou and Wang Bin | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actress | Zhang Ziyi | Nominee |
Golden Bauhinia Awards
2 nominations, 1 won
| Best Cinematography | Christopher Doyle | Winner |
| Best Supporting Actress | Zhang Ziyi | Nominee |
National Society of Film Critics Awards
2 nominations, 1 won
| Best Director | Yimou Zhang (also for House of Flying Daggers ) | Winner |
| Best Cinematography | Christopher Doyle | Nominee |
Golden Rooster Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Director | Zhang Yimou | Winner |
Hundred Flowers Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Picture | Hero (joint winner with Deng Xiaoping and Charging Out Amazon ) | Winner |
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Cinematographer | Christopher Doyle | Winner |
British Independent Film Awards
1 nomination
| Best Foreign Independent Film | Hero | Nominee |
Taurus World Stunt Awards
1 nomination
| Best Action in a Foreign Film | Tony Ching Siu-Tung | Nominee |