Hero is not your typical martial-arts film. While there is a gratuitous amount of violence with people impaled by swords, only two instances show any blood. There is a sword fight between several male combatants in a water garden, which is artistically breathtaking. A sexual encounter where a man ravages a woman concludes with the scornful vengeance of his mistress. In the Eastern tradition of storytelling, this film does not progress linearly. The details of the story are randomly presented, like a collage to be unified and experienced in its entirety.