House of Flying Daggers (2004) User Reviews

A Kaleidoscopic Beauty...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 12 October 2022]

Seldom will you find, such beauty unrefined, a multi-coloured canvas, seductive elegance with prowess, that caresses like a breeze, a wind that sails throughout the trees, soaring high, gliding along, the ever changing seasons song.

As visually spectacular a piece of filmmaking that you're ever likely to come across, with some outstanding scenes choreographed to perfection, the acting and performances in perfect tune with the surroundings, all centred around deception, deceit and devotion, leaves a film that perpetually stands the test of time and nails a dagger to your heart each and every time you return.

Following on from HERO with another visually arresting feature...

[tpr007 · 9/10 · 20 November 2004]

After absolutely loving 'Hero', I couldn't wait for Zhang Yimou's latest Wuxia Pien feature to arrive on DVD. After watching it, I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed, as it is another sumptuous, stylistic feature, which deserves all the accolades it is likely to receive.

The plot of the film is told in a more linear narrative when compared to that of 'Hero', but that is not to say it is any more straightforward. Set in the Tang Dynasty, the basic premise is nothing to write home about, featuring government officials on the trail of an underground rebel alliance 'The House of Flying Daggers'. However, there is enough characterisation and depth to hold your attention, while the (sometimes predictable) plot twists keep you guessing. Unfortunately, there is nothing entirely new about this story and it's probably familiar ground to fans of the wuxia genre. Nevertheless, it flows at a decent pace and is punctuated with enough stylistic action sequences that the 2-hour running time is quickly exhausted.

As with Yimou's impressive previous feature, Tony Ching Siu-tung takes over the action direction, producing another sterling performance. In my opinion, he is currently the top fight choreographer around after spending so many years being considered second fiddle to the likes of Yuen Wo-ping and Sammo Hung; he now deserves to be considered above them on his current output. In this instance, much of the overt stylisation evident in Hero is played down in favour of more grounded, natural martial artistry. There is still plenty of wire work and a spattering of CGI to aid the sequences, however, it is plain to see that much of the action displayed is a mix of genuine swordplay and actual technique. All the performers acquit themselves well considering none of them are formally trained in martial arts – especially Zhang Ziyi who performs impressively from start to finish.

As you would expect from a Zhang Yimou film, the visuals are majestic, with primary colours and panoramic landscapes making up much of what we see. Unfortunately, many people do not seem to take to this artistic approach, and will label the film another case of style over substance. I would disagree, as I believe it contains plenty of both with a strong cast, interesting characters and high quality action to provide the foundation for the kind of bold, sumptuous visuals, which are rare to find in modern film.

Overall, I personally prefer 'Hero' but know of plenty who would disagree. As a result, I recommend it as a definite purchase to any fan of films from this genre.

A pageantry of color, skill and story

[moviechick1010 · 9/10 · 19 October 2004]

There may be some unanswered questions at the end of the movie and yet I'd watch this film over and over again just to witness the use of costumes, the martial arts skill and how they blend to make a very palatable story. Those who are trashing this film do so senselessly. The films' lovebirds are throughly attractive but not at all bland and you root for them because they appear to belong together; they have a natural chemistry which can be difficult for two actors to have. As can be the case in Asian films, like the recent hit "Hero", the costumes and the use of color are important characters all by themselves. So many elements come together beautifully that what's also ironic is the that film could easily be a stage play. I enjoyed this immensely. Just awe-inspiring!

....

[peijin · 10 November 2004]

One thing that people often overlook is how different the viewpoints of westerners or non- Chinese and Chinese are when watching the same film. Zhang's Hero was panned by a lot of Chinese film critics, and HOFD has been the target of several withering attacks as well, by man on the street as well as film critic.

There are some nuances to the film that only Chinese viewers can appreciate--such as the dialogue, which in translation might seem perfectly reasonable, but which makes Chinese people laugh. We've seen enough costume dramas and period pieces, and have good enough sense of our history, to know what is believable and what is not. The way they wrote the dialogue, which is literary Chinese, but not quite, came off just hokey, especially when coming out of the mouths of Kaneshiro and Andy Lau. It's not just their mandarin is not what we are used to, but perhaps because in our minds they are part of pop culture, and thus you get some of the Keanu reeves doing Shakespeare kind of effect. It just falls short.

And this is not to mention how unbelievable the love story is. I can't fathom why people consider this top-notch acting. The most popular actors are not necessarily the best actors--there are plenty of underrated Chinese character actors out there that could have burned a hole through any of these roles. Somehow, some people believe that just because set up the right premises--love, honor, loyalty, etc etc that will you automatically achieve something profound.

Chinese people love martial arts and wuxia novels to be sure, but many of the people I talked to found Zhang Ziyi's xiao mei character dying and then seemingly reviving to be just silly. I would argue that in a movie that is patently a "fantasy" movie of sorts that you have to be fair and suspend disbelief, and they do say that she never pulled out the dagger in her heart, which is why she could stay alive long enough to utter some more hokum.

I also agree with others that a final showdown between the House of Flying Daggers and the government police would have provided more of a sense of "closure" for the audience. I say this because whenever you have a premise like the end of a Chinese dynasty, outlaw groups attempting the overthrow of the government, you've got a great set up for a story, especially it is precisely the end of eras and beginning of new eras (dynasties) which capture the Chinese imagination. In the chaos of a crumbling order, men are men, both the best of heroes and worst of villains is likely to appear. The bonds that tie human beings together are strained, put through the crucible of a cruel death for being on the wrong side.

Which is why it would have been nice if this so called romance or love story could have embedded in the larger framework of a story of the battle between the mysterious House of Flying Daggers and the remnants of the tang Dynasty.

one more note: the whole spy, double double crossing thing is getting kind of old, considering infernal affairs and all the other new cop movies coming out of Hong Kong. I see that cinematic ally, there are always more CG effects to use, to bring us into the wuxia world...but intellectually, HOFD shows that these mainstream Chinese films have already pumped the well entirely dry.

A feast for the senses, a fully satisfying cinematic experience.

[budmassey · 8/10 · 20 April 2005]

Shi Mian Mai Fu belongs to a growing body of work that embodies a clearly Asian aesthetic packaged just as clearly for Western consumption. It is no coincidence that, each time I paused the DVD for whatever reason, the still image on the screen was as beautiful as any classic wood block print by Hiroshige or Hokusai. Xiaoding Zhao's elegant cinematography imbues every scene with haunting beauty. Think Tak Fujimoto times ten, with no disrespect meant to Fujimoto, who shoots Western movies and still manages to inject his refined visual sense into such great films as Silence of the Lambs and Sixth Sense.

Director Yimou Zhang's work in Hero was more epic, more heroic, but SMMF has a more refined sense of story. The cast, the scenery, the music, including vocal performances by the legendary Kathleen Battle; all elements conspire brilliantly to convey subtle and nuanced meaning in moments. The story, as do all good stories of this genre, revolves around a delicate interplay of love, betrayal, deception and heroism of many different kinds, and, oh yes, those stunning ballets of combat layered with evocative sounds and effects.

In a nutshell, the plot goes something like this. A beautiful blind showgirl is captured as a spy. Her captors conspire to trick her into leading them to her leader. Along the way, both hunter and quarry become entangled in a web of subterfuge and deception. Add in a beautifully tragic romantic story line, again, as all such movies must have, and never forget that the essence of all truly great tragedy is inevitability.

This movie is also known as Ambush From Ten Sides, and in that more literal translation of its title you will find its essence. A worthy successor to Hero, though not as magnificent as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, in which Ziyi Zhang gives the performance of a lifetime and the one against all her other roles will be judged, and in this case, fall short, House of Flying Daggars is nevertheless a feast for the senses and a fully satisfying cinematic experience.

Beautiful Romantic Adventure

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 12 November 2005]

In the Ninth Century, the Tang Dinasty in China is weak and corrupt, and an army of rebels called "The House of the Flying Daggers" fights against the government military forces, and steals from the rich to give to the poor people. Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), two captains of the government army, plot a scheme against the rebels using the blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi) to approach their leaders, but their love for Mei leads them to a tragedy.

"Shi mian mai fu" is a beautiful romantic adventure, with amazing clothing, cinematography, colors, music score, fight and martial arts choreography and special effects. The story begins like an action movie, and ends like a tragic romance. Visually, it is an impressive masterpiece, the story is also very nice, Zhang Ziyi is amazingly gorgeous and I really liked this movie a lot. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Clã das Adagas Voadoras"("The Clan of the Flying Daggers")

Almost a great film

[Axel-9 · 7/10 · 30 October 2004]

Zhang Yimou set a new benchmark for martial arts movies with Hero. Visually both inventive and dazzling, whilst having a strong thematic thread, it still managed to kick ass, with energetic fight sequences. He continues in the same vein with House of Flying Daggers, with love and romance replacing Hero's chivalry and honour. It is at times as blisteringly exciting and exquisite to view, but there are a few problems.

Set in a similar time to Hero, the plot revolves around the mysterious House of Flying Daggers, a group of assassins leading a rebellion of sorts, against the rulers of their land. News has reached the local military captain Leo (Andy Lau) that the leader of the House can be found plying their trade in the local brothel. Sensing that this could be the key to ending their resistance he sends one of his men, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to infiltrate the establishment posing as a customer. This soon leads him to the beautiful blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi), who may just be the daughter of the assassinated former leader of the House. What follows is his journey with edit her, through forests and meadows, as he vies to gain her trust, all the while intent on leading the army to their destination in an attempt to discover the leader of the House.

The plot is actually far more complicated than my short synopsis could come close to. We are treated to a twisty turny adventure, punctuated with set pieces of (excuse the tired terminology) balletic grace. Yimou sets a number of scenes within symmetrically perfect backgrounds, the picture set up like a work of art. We find ourselves in a dance hall encircled with drums, where the camera moves with a sense of fluidity, as though part of the dance, as we see Mei play a game of "echoes" with the Captain. Each time he hits a drum with a flicked nut, she follows, striking it with her flowing robes. The scene has a steady tempo, finally hitting a crescendo as the whole bowl is flung, nuts flying everywhere like missiles striking every drum. The sound of each strike reverberates like thunder.

For me the other set pieces never quite match the "echo" dance for majesty, rhythm or look. We get to see numerous showdowns between, with Mei and Jin taking on the soldiers that chase them, all the while with Jin trying to maintain his cover. The fights very much feel like a dance, and are filled with POV shots of arrows, sharpened bits of wood and of course flying daggers. I thought this camera trick felt overused, it looks good, but eventually started to feel tired as yet another dagger is seen boomeranging into action.

As events reach a climax, the plot gets pretty messy, as revelation after revelation is thrown about. In contrast to Hero's coda, where the action became about what's doing right for the good of the whole country, House of Flying Daggers has one of a more personal nature. It never quite rings true, there just isn't the emotion on display for this to work. The final act is somewhat botched, with a "it's over, no it isn't" feel to it, which caused a few "no ways" to be uttered in my vicinity. It is yet another gloriously shot scene, but we'd already seen some extraordinary moments. I felt it seemed to be reaching a more natural conclusion, and with a bit of editing a tighter last half hour would've made this a classic.

As it stands House of Flying Daggers is a fine movie, never quite as good as Hero, and probably behind Crouching Tiger too, and maybe it goes on a bit too long, but it's far superior to most of the formulaic actioners Hollywood produces. Out of ten, I'd give it an eight.

Without a doubt, Hollywood is going down...

[AurumStarFinder · 10/10 · 22 January 2005]

I have never, ever seen a film that the West has ever created that can top Chinese cinema in this form, with the exception possibly being Lord of the Rings. I truly applaud Oriental taste. I can't count the number of times I have completely forgotten that I've actually got my own physical form while watching films like House of Flying Daggers, but I can count how many times that's happened during Western films: zero.

For those of you who have no taste I beg you: but aside your views on gravity-defying fight scenes and subtitles. Just remember that this is something called FANTASY. It isn't real, no matter how much you wish it to be. It's called cinema: you can do whatever the hell you like in film. I don't complain when you've got aliens that spurt out your chest. I don't complain when the dead rise from their graves. I don't complain about the lack of reason behind the ideas that aliens would have less intelligence than humans or that the living dead would harbour grudges against the really living. I complain when it just looks simply uninspiring and frankly visually boring.

So, Zhang Yimou, please bring on more heroes and flying daggers

As beautiful as a dream, and just as fraught with logic problems

[Xiayu · 6/10 · 28 January 2005]

Beautiful and poetic, the first two-thirds of this film are sensational.

Murder, revenge, love, betrayal - these are all tired by-words that bounce off a potential movie-goers brain when we see them in advertisements. If that's your response too, this time I urge you to ignore it, because, final score notwithstanding, there is so much to be savoured and enjoyed in just looking at the screen.

Zhang Yimou, once a photographer and cinematographer himself, has an exquisite eye. Colour is a recurring feature of his films, with a life and story of it's own to tell, and this film is textured almost to the point of gluttony. To call it breathtaking is not overstating it. But unlike the deliberate stylisation of Hero, the settings here are much earthier. You can feel each flower and blade of grass, and marvel at the vivid detail in the costumes. It's wildly sensuous on a visual level. The drama, as we have seen from Zhang before, is heightened by the moodiness of the weather, and emotions are expressed through the changing of seasons.

The combat sequences are inventively executed, giving the violence an uneasy beauty. As is often the case in this genre, the fights might astound you with the precision and power of the choreography, but they keep you at a distance from the pain and injury. Not so in the final showdown between the characters Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau Tak Wah). This is a man's fight, brutal, bloody, messy and decidedly ungraceful. When Leo raises his sword to kill Jin, he means it. His anger is so ferocious that it can only be represented by a drastic change in season. Mid fight, Autumn becomes Winter, showing that the friendship these men once had has gone irreparably from cool tolerance to icy, implacable fury. It is a feature of the novels from which many of these stories are taken, that the martial arts skill of the protagonists is so great they are actually able to harness the power of the elements to use to their own advantage. This may or may not be the case here; no-one benefits from the snow and sleet, for all, as Shakespeare once put it, are punished.

However, when the melodrama hits, the rhapsody is seriously tainted. In any movie, some suspension of disbelief is a given, but when it's suspended over a gaping chest wound and under three feet of snow, and it's already hanging by the thinnest of threads, it becomes comical instead of dramatic. My friend and me both wailed with disbelief every time Mei (Zhang Ziyi) was resurrected towards the end (Don't tell me she's getting up AGAIN!??). Had she died the first time she was stabbed, and actually stayed dead, the effectiveness of the movie would have been increased by 90%. Unfortunately, some of the high marks earned were lost by the stupidity of this plot-point.

Further, the dialogue at key moments was just cheesy and embarrassing. I thought perhaps it was a translation problem, but my friend, who is from Mainland China, assured me it was in equally poor taste in Mandarin. Such a pity, because it could've been salvaged by some ruthless script doctoring.

First two thirds: 7/10 Last third: 3/10 Score out of 10 = 5.5, but I'll round it up to 6.

(As an aside, Andy Lau's Mandarin was an achievement in itself. I understand it was dubbed later to achieve the maximum correct pronunciation, but at least it was dubbed by him and not another actor. After watching around half of his hundred or so movies, all in Cantonese, it was a great pleasure to see him take on the task and do so well. My friend would not believe it was him, it was so good.)

Fascinating movie with extraordinary photography and color

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 9 January 2006]

China 859 AD,the once-mighty Tang dynasty is in decline.His corrupt government no longer controls the land,unrest sweeps the country.Village by village an underground alliance forms the ¨House of flying daggers¨.Based near the imperial capital ¨ The House¨ moves in the shadows.Stealing from the rich to give to the poor,they earn the support of the people.At the same time they are feared and hated by their bitter rivals,the local deputies. Mei(Zhang Zyi) is a gorgeous ,exotic, and rare beauty dancer, she's an intrepid and blind warrior(as Zaitochi,the blind samurai).She's suspicious of pertaining to revolutionary group.Two officials(Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau) are assigned their deadly mission : capture her and inquire where the band is hidden. Now the protagonists pull off a dangerous journey and they'll fight against warriors grasped to trees,impressive combats and battles of incredible scenarios. The same director¨Hero¨,Zhang Yimou, and the starring of¨Hero¨and ¨Crouching Tiger and hidden dragon¨,Zhang Zyi(memories of a geisha),bring us a new exciting film. Zhang Yimou makes the ultimate martial arts masterpiece.Spellbound struggles images illuminate the full-blown adventures of trio protagonist. Colorful chop-socky big budget with battles stunningly staged and groundbreaking production design. Eye-popping cinematography is specially reflected on breathtaking outdoors and luxurious interiors and overwhelming costumes. Fascinating gowns by Japan designer Emi Wada based on Tang dynasty. Riveting and atmospheric score with oriental sounds by Umebayashi. The motion picture was nominated to Academy award 2005 to the best cinematography and nominated to Golden Globe to the best foreigner film. The film is dedicated to the memory of Anita Moui. Rating :Astounding and awesome.

High on flash, low on flesh

[ohstatic · 6/10 · 27 January 2005]

All of the reviews have rightly stated that "House of Flying Daggers" is one of 2004's most beautiful movies. No one will disagree that the level of stylization and composition is much higher than your standard fare. However, halfway through the film it becomes clear that the scriptwriters hurriedly pulled together a cliché-ridden story in order to facilitate getting to the next big fight or beautiful set piece. By the end of the film everyone is a double agent, everyone must choose between love or duty, and if anyone is outnumbered in a fight, they'll be saved by a barrage of timely projectile weapons hurled from off-screen. All of the actors do a fine job with the material, yet it is the material itself that is so tedious and convoluted that one simply stops caring.

The Colors of wind are the thoughts of the heart

[jmbwithcats · 8/10 · 6 February 2005]

From Yimou Zhang, the director of Jet Li's Hero and Raise the Red Lantern, comes a spectacular tale about honor, and love.

House of Flying Daggers is the gripping, touching, and visually spectacular tale of two people, caught in a Romeo and Juliet story, and the nation at war they must fight together.

It is near the end of the Tang Dynasty era, and The Captain Jin (Kaneshiro) and Leo (Lau) tangle with Mei (Zhang), a dancer suspected of having ties to a revolutionary faction known as the House of Flying Daggers. Enraptured by her, the deputies concoct a plan to save her from capture, and Jin leads her north in what becomes a perilous journey into the unknown.

The dialogue, beautifully bright costumes, and landscapes will take you on a wonderful journey. A journey of dance, music, and beautiful words.

visually beautiful

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 5 September 2015]

The Tang Dynasty is weak and the House of Flying Daggers rebels have been stealing from the rich to give to the poor. The rebel leader has recently been killed. Local deputies Captain Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are ordered to kill the new leader within ten days. Jin goes to be a client to the new blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi) who is suspected to be the previous leader's daughter. Leo comes in to arrest both Jin and Mei. Jin breaks her out of prison hoping she would lead him to the House of Flying Daggers.

There is no doubt that this is a visual delight. It is beautifully shot. There is a bit too much melodrama for me. I don't feel any connection to the love triangle. It takes over the movie and saps away my attention. It gets awkward and I stop caring. I can do without the convoluted soap opera but the movie is still very beautiful. In fact, the movie never stops looking beautiful even as the story grinds to a halt.

Are you joking?

[acjmar · 4/10 · 25 December 2004]

Normally, I am a pretty generous critic, but in the case of this film I have to say it was incredibly bad. I am stunned by how positive most reviews seem to be.

There were some gorgeous shots, but it's too bad they were wasted on this sinkhole of a movie. It might have worked if "Daggers" was purely an action flick and not a romance, but unfortunately the film is built around an empty love triangle. There is no chemistry between either of the couples, whatever exists between Mei and her men seems to be more lust than love, and for the most part the dialogue is just silly. This may be just a problem with translation, but the frequent usage of the word "flirt" in particular reminded me of 8th grade, not head-over-heels, together forever, worth-dying-for love; I also felt we were beat over the head with the wind metaphor. The audience is given very little about the characters to really care about, and therefore very little emotional investment in the movie as a whole. I was wishing for a remote control to fast forward, I was slumped in my seat ready to snore, but mostly I just cringed a lot.

*******spoiler*****

Now, the icing on the cake. Or rather, adding insult to injury. The ending was truly one of the most horrible, laughable ones I have ever seen. The boys are having their stag fight and screaming and yelling and hacking at each other. Oh, and then it starts to snow. Randomly. Oh, and then Mei (dagger embedded in heart) suddenly pops up out of the weeds. Then she throws a dagger that seems to take about 5 minutes to reach it's destination, even slowing conveniently midscreen to hit a tiny blood droplet. Wow, cool.

Well, then Mei dies finally I guess because she threw the dagger that was lodged in her chest and bled to death. Jin sings, sobs, holds her body close, screen goes blank. I, and the people surrounding me, are chuckling. Not a good sign.

Visually stunning, but ultimately a failure.

Aside from a few clichés often seen in martial arts films, this one is about perfect.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 29 January 2013]

How much you enjoy "House of Flying Daggers" may depend strongly on how familiar you are of martial arts films as well as how accepting you are of the clichés in the genre. Some things in the film are utterly ridiculous and if you are the type who thinks too much, then you'll probably not be so impressed. For example, the film has one of the more familiar silly themes in Asian films (both Chinese and Japanese)--the blind warrior who is able to defeat practically anyone. Sure, there is a twist to it in this film, but the idea of a blind person being a master with the sword is pretty nutty. Also, the daggers that fly in this film defy every possible law of physics. So, you just have to accept this or your head might explode. And finally, only in a martial arts film can anyone fight on after having a bazillion fatal injuries (see "Throne of Blood" to see the ultimate scene like this).

The story, however, is wonderful and provided you can let yourself just sit back and absorb it all, you are in for a treat. Rarely have I seen a more exquisitely filmed movie. The use of birch trees and bamboo is amazingly artistic--as are the Fall colors. Also, the musical score is lovely and works so very well with the visual aesthetics. As far as the swordplay, martial arts and the like, it's also amazing--and light-years ahead of the wonderful old Shaw Brothers spectacles (which were great for their time). Overall, a real treat--a film full of excitement, romance and artistry. Well worth your time.

Best Movie of 2004

[elcopy · 9/10 · 6 December 2004]

I guess having this movie out just a few months after the U.S. release of "Hero" was more than many moviegoers could chew (and you can see it in the reviews here). That takes away from a fantastic experience. Every frame of this film is exquisite. It was breathtaking scene after breathtaking scene. There are enough plot twist, double crossings and romance to keep the scenes between the action sequences interesting. Ziyi Zhang plays her best role of what I call now a trilogy (which includes "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Hero" and now "House Of Flying Daggers" -the best of the three). It's not Yimou Zhang's best movie, that'd be "Raise The Red Lantern", but it's proof this director is on a roll. Go see this movie without worry.

It's An Action Flick! It's A Love Story! It's A Date Movie!

[noralee · 11 December 2004]

"House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)" shows they can make movies like that anymore. This is a grand action love story that fully captures the eye and the heart, the pulse and ears. Yes, an action flick can be a date movie!

While building on the Wu-Xia tradition of literature and film that's as much historical fantasy as any rollicking Dumas adventure or the "Lord of the Rings" films, director Yimou Zhang incorporates elements we have seen elsewhere into a freshly thrilling experience.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had a more sophisticated plot, but this one's twisty enough in the ever more duplicitous spies/hunter and the hunted vein.

It has a lot of plot similarities to another Ziyi Zhang-starrer, the drama of 1930's war intrigue "Purple Butterfly (Zi hudie)," minus the political lessons.

From Japanese films there's borrowing from the "Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman" legends as well as almost as much from Kurasawa's "Hidden Fortress" that Lucas did for the "Star Wars" saga, and then borrowing forest fighting imagery from Lucas to an open meadow as magical as in "The Wizard of Oz."

"The Matrix" movies may have wowed us more with "bullet time" plus there is a lot of following arrow trajectories as in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," not coincidentally as the titular rebels are stealing from the rich to benefit the poor, but the context of the weapons for Siu-Tung Ching's martial arts choreography are more varied and emotional.

Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" is only a bit more over the top than the beautiful production design and elaborate costumes in this Peony Pavilion, but every inch of the screen and soundtrack is as operatically filled and should be experienced on a large screen.

The director's own "Hero (Ying xiong)" is more beautiful as this is missing cinematographer Christopher Doyle's aesthetics but Xiaoding Zhao's cinematographical debut captures a breathtaking variety of landscapes in straightforward storytelling. The sound design is as important, with lots of heavy breathing from tension and exertion.

While it's a much smaller cast than sweeping epics like "Dr. Zhivago," "Titanic" or "Gone With the Wind," it has that swept away feel of a love story amidst larger forces, even if for much of the movie its the force of nature of the geography of Ukraine and a bamboo forest national park, which forcefully reminded me of an elementary school unit my son's class did on how bamboo is stronger than steel.

"Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Tian di ying xiong)" showed that spectacular scenery can be a backdrop for a pedestrian movie. But like "Hero," the enormous canvas is background for zooming in on three enormously charismatic actors in a passionate and unexpectedly tricky love triangle.

Ziyi Zhang needs to watch someone other than Mary Pickford, especially some Susan Sarandon or Jeanne Moreau, to learn that there's more levels in projecting romance than smoldering ratcheting right up to jump his bones, but one has to make some allowances as this is the first as sexy as this Chinese movie and the romance does recall pre-Code Hollywood. Her beautiful shoulders are used quite provocatively.

Takeshi Kaneshiro is ravishingly captivating but Andy Lau gives him a run for your heart in surprises that revolve around the unusual plot point of a woman's willingness being paramount, which is refreshing and adds suspense and emotion to the story.

The closing Kathleen Battle song is a bit over the top, as the music throughout verges on schmaltzy as it shamelessly reinforces what you see and hear, but you are left gasping if not weeping at the end anyway.

Artistic masterwork

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 1 August 2016]

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the recent Oscar-winning period movies that have been coming out of Hong Kong – I thought that CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and HERO were both okay films, well made certainly, but lacking that certain dynamic spark which is needed for a classic film. So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, well aware that director Zhang Yimou was also responsible for HERO, and fully expecting to be let down by this film, as well. I was in for a surprise.

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS blew me away. Whereas the two films mentioned previously have seemed false, concerning tired notions of heroism and chivalry, this one concentrates on torrid romance, with many love scenes taking place during the film's running time. This is what is needed to give the film heart and dynamism. Obviously, the excellent technical qualities are what make this such a good film; the CGI effects are excellent, the cinematography is breathtaking, and the fight choreography spellbinding. Director Yimou is first and foremost an artist and it shows; this is the most visually beautiful film I've seen in my life. Each of the major set-pieces has a major colour scheme going on and the camera superbly captures all the nuances. Costumes, sets, and weaponry are vibrant and engaging as well.

The acting is excellent. Veteran Andy Lau has the most interesting role, a soldier torn between his duty and the girl he loves. Said girl is played by Ziyi Zhang, who I haven't liked much in her previous films; here she's excellent, and Zimou really captures her fragile beauty and innocence. The other central performer is Takeshi Kaneshiro, familiar from his role in 1997's HERO; here he makes good on his central role in that film – he's great as well.

The various fight scenes are all fluid and the wire work is nicely incorporated into the battles, which never seem outlandish or unnecessary as in the films I mentioned at the beginning of this review. There are lots of shots of weapons flying through the air which I liked, and a classic stand-off at the film's climax, which takes place in a snowstorm and reminded me favourably of the climax of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND HTE UGLY; director Zimou is obviously cut from the same cloth as Sergio Leone. Other highlights include the showdown in the bamboo forest and the magnificent echo game which opens the film, and which makes the best use of surround sound I've experienced.

One twist after another and another and another...

[abum190 · 6/10 · 31 December 2004]

I thought it would never end.

Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie, especially visually. The effects were beautiful and artistic and the sets were elaborate, but not so elaborate that they overwhelm the eye. And the actors were good. Kaneshiro was properly whimsical and tragic when he needed to be and Lau was properly indignant and angry, and Zhang...well, she was near perfect, as she was in Crouching Tiger. Her characters in the two movies are very close in personality, but Zhang makes them completely different.

The plot is this: Jin (Kaneshiro) and Leo (Lau) are two officers of the national guard (I'm pretty sure that's what it is) who are ordered to kill the new leader of the Flying Daggers, a terrorist group working against the government. They believe that a new showgirl (Zhang) at the local brothel may be linked to the Flying Daggers. After capturing the girl, named Mei, Jin frees her from the jail cell and tells her he wants to go with her to join the Flying Daggers.

The plot twists and twists again and again, and while the different twists are entertaining, I saw most of them coming. And trust me, if I saw them, you'll see them. But it's a fun experience, especially when you realize how intelligent the ideas are- it makes you feel smart when you figure it out. The last scene is a neverending fight between Jin and Leo which dragged on long enough for my friends and I to ask why they didn't just die. Usually when someone gets stabbed in the back or the heart they keel over and die, but not so in director Yimou Zhang's world.

Most of the choices the director makes are good ones. The screenplay isn't perfect, but it keeps you watching. What makes up for the film's flaws is the endless array of astounding images that flash and flow before you eyes the entire time.

How Hot Was This?

[QueenMakeda84 · 10/10 · 5 August 2005]

This is seriously a beautiful and stunning movie. Chinese directors should really give lessons to American film makers on how to construct such engaging cinematography and plot lines. The movie had everything you needed. I didn't mind in the least that it required subtitles. Hell, I watch English movies with captions just because actors tend to not enunciate or the sound director isn't altogether capable. But I digress.

The movie works as a kind of story within a story. There are many layers that get revealed as the journey goes on. Zhang stars as a blind exotic dancer/martial artist who is led by a handsome costar, back to her people, who seek to destroy the corrupt government of the time. The two progress from barely tolerant to an all-encompassing love for the other as they save each other's lives time and again as they try to return to her people. He is a charming and flirty man's man who brings the challenge upon himself to woo a strong, blind woman, but becomes less task-oriented when he actually learns about her. She, in turn, lets her defenses down as she discovers that he is "her wind". They have remarkable chemistry, as they are playful and passionate in their youth and sexual tension.

It's truly a suspense, romance, and action film that looks like a water painting or ballet to watch. The fight scenes are seamed and tailored, and gorgeous to view. Both utilized such grace and style that you wanted to fight with such nonchalance. As easy as walking. I admired that it wasn't too "Crouching Tiger" in its presentation. I found that movie a little too much with them walking or flying across trees. This movie made it a little more believable by executing moves with such force and slight of hand, that it quelled the suspension of disbelief. The acting was top-notch and on par throughout the film. They were a lovable and enticing cast. In particular, you wanted to know more about Mei and her guide and you wanted them to fall for each other. The intrigue mounts as the story develops the true nature of Mei's capture and her position within her people. Her lover is left to question the very sincerity of their relationship as more plot-thickenings emerge.

I highly recommend this film to all. Don't be afraid of the subtitles. The Chinese film industry is really on a whole other level of film making than America. It's poetic with every shot and reminds you of old medieval tales in its unfolding. It is seriously a great and grand film. The fight scenes were excellent. Especially the scene of Mei mimicking the sounds on the gourds as a dance. It was sexy and delicate at the same time. The way the fabric of her clothing moved was visually stunning and breathtaking. I could immediately see this film taking place in North Africa, particularly Morocco, with black actors in the roles. The cultures seemed so similar, that's why I could envision it. Hey, it could work. Let's think about it America...lol. It was earthy, yet divine and lofty. I don't know how else to describe it. A beautiful movie by all my standards.

A wasted opportunity

[Vartiainen · 6/10 · 16 January 2014]

A Chinese wuxia film riding on the coattails of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers deviates from the typical wuxia formula by being more of a love story rather than action-packed adventure. This ends up being both the strength and the weakness of the film.

So what's the story. The 9th century China is in turmoil. Tang Dynasty is weakening and rebellious civil movements have begun to crop up all over the land. One of these is the eponymous House of Flying Daggers, and now the local police department believes that they have managed to locate one of the girls belonging to this organization. A plan is hatched to covertly release the girl and have her lead them to her leader. Yet problems arise as the amorous young police officer starts to fall for the fierce warrior woman.

From that you can speculate much of the plot, and not in a bad way either. Sure, it's a bit predictable, but I'd rather see it as sticking to tried and true methods. Zhang Ziyi is an extremely fetching main female lead, and Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau are rather good as well as Jin and Liu, the two main police officers.

Furthermore, it's an utterly gorgeous film. The settings are rich and detailed, the use of colour is phenomenal, the fight sequences are imaginative and enjoyable to look at and the music brings all together. One of the best looking films I've seen in a long time. The scenes in the bamboo forest with their thousands of shades of green are just... wow, I have no words.

Yet I think that this film could have been much better with a change of focus. The setting about rebellious groups fighting against a dying dynasty is an interesting one and could have made for a really interesting adventure. Yet the main focus of the film is whether or not they really love each other? There's a missed opportunity here. Not that the love story isn't nice and heart-breaking and all that, but I was constantly questioning in my head, "Yeah, that's nice, but what about the rebellion? What about the House and its goals?" I can't exactly blame the director Yimou Zhang for trying to do something new with the genre, but perhaps a bit less adventure-oriented premise would have managed to keep my attention where it should have been.

Still, it's a good film if you're looking for gorgeous visual, great action scenes and good acting performances. Recommended.

My favorite movie

[andrewwnbanks · 10/10 · 20 February 2021]

Just the best movie. Seen it dozens of times. Artistic, dramatic and stunningly beautiful. What a film.

Maddeningly disappointing

[zetes · 7/10 · 17 January 2005]

Okay, it's actually a pretty good film, but after being so absolutely blown away by Zhang's previous martial arts picture, Hero, his follow up could only disappoint. It just feels so unambitious and small in comparison. The script is far less interesting and timeless. It takes over half the movie before anything especially fascinating happens. Sure, the "echo game" scene is okay. But think of Hero, whose first set piece was the fight between Nameless and Sky. When I saw that back in August, my jaw hit the floor. I knew I was in for something truly amazing. The echo game is interesting, but also a bit silly. I guess a lot of things in Hero were silly, too, when you think about them – like the lake fight between Nameless and Broken Sword. But Hero captivated me, where Daggers barely registered. As far as the martial arts sequences go, I wasn't astounded by a single one. The bamboo forest was the best, but it isn't as wonderful as, say, the fight in the trees from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or, indeed, even the bamboo forest fights of King Hu's A Touch of Zen, a picture I didn't like at all. It's only in Flying Dagger's final sequence where it triumphs over the mediocrity that has been trying to creep in throughout the film. Even with it, it still feels like only three-quarters of a movie. I'm probably being more harsh than I ought to, though. It has many worthwhile elements. The costumes are particularly great, and the only aspect that I would say is beyond Hero is the music. 7/10.

Beautiful scenery and costumes do not compensate for ridiculous plot and dialogue

[bda_9 · 5/10 · 2 March 2005]

I saw this movie based on numerous positive reviews however I must say that I was bitterly disappointed.

Yes the movie is beautiful to look at, magic scenery, costumes and balletic fight scenes but all of these elements became paper thin window dressing for what was essentially a seemingly endless string of absurd battles. If I want to see "dancing" I will go to the ballet. The fighting whilst well choreographed lacked realism.

My main complaint is that the frequent silly moments in the film, perhaps due to a east/west cultural "gap" coupled with the very tedious plot, spoiled any enjoyment I may have ordinarily gleaned from the other elements of movie making.

To me this movie is like so many Hollywood movies that I detest; why spend $???million dollars making a film and spare so little on plot development or script.

With respect to the director, if he wants to make beautiful images alone perhaps he should take up oil painting.

Meticulously crafted

[harry_tk_yung · 12 January 2005]

Treading merrily along the path of Hollywoodization (pardon my expression) started in Ying Xiong, director Zhang Yimou turned out another equally meticulously crafted product, Shi Mian Mai Fu, which was showcased to the world in the 2004 Cannes 'out of competition' category.

Meticulously crafted, SMMF starts by giving the audience an exceptional feast of the ear, putting them in a blind person's POV (or maybe I should say POH, 'H' for hearing). The duel of drums scene is brilliant. As if that is not enough, we are treated to another feast of sounds, this time the thundering hoofs and clashing weapon in the pursuit and attack of the blind girl.

Even more meticulously crafted is the color display. A top-notch cinematographer (Yellow Earth (1984)) before a director, Zhang does not appear to be able to tolerate anything that falls short of atheistic perfection. Although not as blatantly as in Ying Xiong, he exhibits here a color display that is equally dazzling. The landscape in the first couple of scenes is in mellowed brown, yellow and pale green. Then come the lush green hills and the dreamy world of the bamboo forest. Towards the end, we have a white birth forest and, for no apparent reason, are given a frame of only two seconds of a fiery stretch of fall colors. In the finale, the ominous dark clouds eventually produce a winter wonderland, to receive profuse splashes of crimson blood.

Crafted sight and sound is great, but over-crafted script and story is where SMMF falls down. In the show that I attended, the audience burst out in a clearly audible expression of mirth where none was intended by the script. I do recognize that this was due in part to the fact that they know Andy Lau too well. But then, some of the things were thrust at the audience so abruptly that I think their reaction is forgivable.

In a nutshell, Flying Dagger is no Crouching Tiger as Zhang Yimou lacks the heart, soul and sensitivity of Ang Lee. I remember watching a TV interview of Zhang a couple of years ago, when he intimated something to the effect that making movie is a market-driven affair and if the (global) market wants it, he'll make it. Well, he is at least honest about the whole thing and he did make Ying Xiong. But I do miss director Zhang's earlier work: Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, Qiu Ju Goes to Court, Living, Not One Less, My Father and Mother.

One final point of no particular consequence. Shi Mian Mai Fu (literal translation 'Ambushed on Ten Sides') is the best known piece of music for the lute-like pipa. I notice that three or four bars from the piece are featured in the background music, at the point when the blind girl's true identity is revealed.

Thank goodness it didn't get the Golden Globe....would have been SUCH an embarrassment if it did.