Hero (2002)

Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic assembles Jet Li, Tony Leung, and Maggie Cheung in a colour-coded meditation on sacrifice and empire, grossing over $177 million worldwide in 2002. Its five-part structure uses 240 meticulously color-graded scenes to represent truth and memory, making it the highest-grossing Chinese film at the time — a feat faster than any predecessor. Its sweeping choreography and visual ambition outperform #6 Chungking Express in scale, though it lacks that film's intimate nuance.