House of Flying Daggers

Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang
Directed by: Yimou Zhang
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two governmental officials (Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau) are determined to bring down the rebellious organization, the House of Flying Daggers. To infiltrate the gang, they trick a blind girl (Ziyi Zhang) into revealing their secrets.

Review:

Tim: This movie perfectly balances visually stunning images with action and excitement. While not as good as a film like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it is certainly better than Hero. The movie works first and foremost as a good story, one of betrayal, lust, and revenge. It also features some absolutely amazing choreographed fight scenes. While this isn’t new to most audiences anymore, it is still fascinating to watch people flying through the air and defy the laws of gravity. I really enjoyed this movie.

The cast are all quite good. Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro are both excellent. They are joined by the always terrific Ziyi Zhang. Zhang has impressed me over and over again, and she’s superb here as a blind woman. Lau, Kaneshiro, and Zhang all work extremely well together. Their story propels the film, and it works because each of them is so believable. Part of this comes from the fact that they have a great script to work with. While the story’s plot can get a bit complicated (it is filled with double-crosses and changing alliances), the movie is really fairly straightforward. There is strength in trying to keep this story as simple as possible—because it evokes some of the most basic human emotions.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible action scenes. I love these Asian movies where everyone can fly through the hair in impossible ways. These scenes are stunning to watch, and counter to what we’d think, are completely believable. This film features some stunning scenes, like the flying daggers hurtling through the air, the battle through the forest, a jaw-dropping battle in the snow, and much more. These scenes are beautiful to watch unfold.

What really makes this movie powerful is the unexpected conclusion. Right under our radar, the film moves towards this impressive three way decisive battle. This is far more emotional than you would expect, and director Zhang Yimou pulls it off flawlessly. It really makes you stop and think about things like jealousy, forgiveness, and love. That is where the film draws its strengths- from combining crazy martial arts with humanness and passion. Yimou doesn’t direct a perfect film, as I mentioned, there are better ones in the same genre—but House of Flying Daggers is deserving of its own mention and can stand up proud of its place in this enjoyable subgenre of films.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, Memoirs of a Geisha