Hero

We can't deny the rush of watching well-choreographed kung fu face-offs on the big screen, but even the biggest action buff needs a reason to care about the characters, or all of the chopping and kicking grows tiring. (Why do you think Jackie Chan keeps winding up next to sidekicks like Jennifer Love Hewitt?) To make sure you don't leave after the first subtitle, Hero gives up all the back stories behind its sword-slingers in this tale of an assassin shot in the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's 2,000 years ago, and our nameless hero (Jet Li) is face-to-face with his last target, the Qin King intent on taking over all of China. But instead of exchanging body blows, the two sides discuss their differing versions of the events leading up to their meeting. Don't worry, it's not all tea and jump kicks; their colorful recaps are where the flick's action swings into gear. Assassins go at each other in one-on-one combat, armies ambush local villages, and subtitles fly to and fro amid a raging battle for control over China. The colorful style and artful direction might seem like giant warning signs of an art flick, but if you're a true kung fu fan, it's a price worth paying for a happy ending.