House Of Flying Daggers on DVD (2004)

Not what you might think, but good all the same...

James Wright from Surrey , 14/01/2005

Do not go and watch this film expecting two hours of pioneering martial arts scenes. If you want that, rent one of the Matrix films, god knows that's all they're good for.

What you should look forward to is involving relationships and a story that is far more thoughtful and complex than you average sword-flick. Zhang Yimou, as with his previous film 'Hero', creates a breath-taking view of the part fantasy, part ledgend world in which the characters live. He also weaves intricate plotlines that provide welcome suprises throughout the film.

Finally, he does drop in the occasional bit of fisticuffs... most of which will be the most exciting and balletic sword/dagger/hand-to-hand combat scenes you will see in a cinema.

One thing he can't do though, is coax a decent performance out of his actors. Only Zhang Ziyi convinces as a blind but deadly dancer.

Read all reviews

GET ON WITH IT!

RJTaylor from London , 07/02/2006

...is what I mostly found myself thinking during House of Flying Daggers. Five stars for aesthetics, four stars for performances, but a measly one star for writing. The plot is so thin that it would struggle to make a meaty 90 minute film; this film draws it out over nigh on 2 hours. The characters are also very shallow - some background would have been nice - and I did get a bit tired of the way that the players manage to slice and dice one another, spit out a bit of blood and then carry on like they've just grazed their knee or got a bit of a splinter, rather than a whacking great sword in the back.

So all this averages out to three stars. Hero was better.

Read all reviews

Film of the Year

Bribaba from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 28/12/2004

The House of Flying Daggers is a great title for any film, and in this case the finished article more than lives up to the promise suggested. The sets, the lighting, the costumes, the set-pieces; it makes you realise how audiences must have felt when they first encountered sound.

The action sequences are astonishing, even though it's essentially a love story. That's quite enough in itself, but there's also a political allegory running lightly in the background. Light enough, at least, for the film to be considered suitable for export, unlike some of Zimou's earlier, more trenchant works. The beauty of this film is that can be enjoyed on many different levels and, hopefully, by many different people. It is for these reasons that it gets my not-yet-coveted Best Film of 2004 award.

Read all reviews

masterclass

Mark MacMillan from scotland , 14/10/2005

Every frame of this picture looks like a Monet painting, the bamboo forest scenes stand out as bursts of vivid colour and stark contrasts contribute to possibly the most beautiful piece of camerawork Ive ever seen. As for the plot its simple and thats no bad thing, performances are fine, with the female lead particularly enchanting. This is a style of cinema far removed from UK or USA and its impossible to compare ...and impossible to fault

Read all reviews

A cut above the rest

Northernsky from Halifax [Highly rated reviewer] , 09/05/2005

If you prefer a less operatic and linear plot and a screenplay more interested in the internalised purple affairs of the heart than the wide screen machinations of politics then you should prefer The House of flying Daggers over director Zhang Yimous previous work "Hero". The narrative while still convoluted is tighter than that of "Hero", but most importantly there is still the same ravishing use of colour and movement.

The plot sees Police Captains Lee (Lau) and Jin (Kareshiro) given ten days to capture the leader of The House of Flying Daggers, an expanding rebel alliance. Jin goes undercover in order to gain the confidence of Mei (Ziyi.) They breakout of jail and head off in search of the outlaws and on reaching their goal find their emotions turning towards each other and story subverts into a compelling love triangle.

This is a slower film than “Hero” but the performances are compelling, particularly Kareshiro and the beautiful Ziyi, but the balletic gravity defying fight sequences are more convincing than the love scenes which revolve around much unpersuasive fumbling.

Director Yimou is adept at transporting the audience to another place and time but after two films set in Ancient China maybe it, s time he tackled something more contemporary or a different genre, but whatever he chooses no one will complain if they are as intelligent or as eye meltingly gorgeous as The House of Flying Daggers.

Read all highest rated reviews

Turn up your sound system

A customer from UK , 24/05/2005

I was dissapointed that it is subtitles, but there is so little speaking in this film that it doesn't spoil it, and sometimes dubbing can spoil a film anyway.

Play the film in DTS if your system can play it, and play it loud. Watch the echo dance at 13mins into the film, and enjoy!

The filming is simply beautiful. There are some good twists in the story though the ending is a bit of a let down, but how can an ending ever do justice to such a beautiful film? the ending becomes academic really.

Another lesson for hollywood.

Read all highest rated reviews