The dialogue in Hero was superficial and too modern sounding, and the film laid greater emphasis on form than the actual storyline. Moreover, director Zhang Yimou overextended himself attempting to confine so heavy and broad a theme within a two-hour format. As a result, the entire story comes off as a stiff and unnatural. Lacking in vitality, the characters are merely functional.
北京新浪網一位網友就說，《英雄》裡的人物對白太膚淺、太現代化，電影的形式大於故事，主題太大、太重，張藝謀試圖壓縮進兩個小時的電影，但功力不夠，所以整個故事敘述得很生硬，不夠流暢，人物處處遷就這個主題，沒有自己的生命力。