House of Flying Daggers, 2004

This is a cinemagraphic masterpiece which does not subtly expose the elegance and glory of nature but explodes it on the screen. The choreography is coupled with an ever twining plot which exposes human strenghths physically and emotional. The director adds truth to the with a depth of character unimaginable in traditional Hollywood movies. This is a film all ages should view as it affirms that art is alive on the BIG screen. Fabulous.

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Although this film took a while to draw me in, by the end I was absolutely mesmerised. Visually, it is every bit as stunning as Zhang Yimou's previous martial arts film, "Hero", and also compares favourably to the mainstream forerunner for this genre, Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Everything in this film looks vibrant and sumptuous; the intricately detailed costumes, the rich colour palettes of the outdoor scenes, the incredible choreography of the fight scenes - I swear you could watch this stuff hundreds of times and still marvel at how rich and vivid it looks. The story is almost irrelevant in a film that looks this great, but fear not; that is good too. Whereas the opening sequence sets you up to expect a Robin Hood type story, you quickly realise that you're getting something closer to Romeo & Juliet instead. Yes, it is a love story at the end of the day, but there is also a fair dose of betrayal, tragedy and political intrigue thrown in too. My only small quibble is perhaps that some of the characters were slightly underdeveloped. Sometimes their motivations and actions were not fully explained and could have used some padding out. But that is only a very minor complaint about what is an excellent film.

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Holy crap! House of Flying Daggers was a "holy crap" kind of movie. As in, every 3.5 minutes, I turned to my girlfriend and said "Holy crap!" Every six minutes I said"Did you see that!" Like she could miss it, sitting six feet away from the television. House of Flying Daggers was a sensory overload. Brought to life by the same director who helmed Hero, House of Flying Daggers is another character driven story that uses martial arts sequences as a story telling tool, not as a main character. It shares the same feel of Hero, with a masterful use of colors and sounds, with an amazing musical score. House of Flying Daggers isn't quite as epic as Hero; it's more of a love story, actually. Toss in a few plot twists, and you've got one incredible movie. The story itself focuses on the relationship between the two main characters, with a few subplots moving along the fringes of the movie. Never once was I bored or distracted; House of Flying Daggers held my attention for its full running time with seemingly no effort. The characters were wonderfully portrayed by a strong cast with wonderful scenery as a backdrop. The fight scenes were jaw dropping. Absolutely breathtaking... The skill of both the actors and the choreographers was clearly evident. The modern special effects melded seamlessly with the action, and I was completely convinced. House of Flying Daggers totally immerses the viewer in its fantasy world, and it does it flawlessly. The colors, the sounds, everything seems right in your living room, even right in your face. I was taken aback. Overall, House of Flying Daggers is a truly amazing movie that everyone should check out, especially fans of the genre. The more Chinese cinema I see, the more impressed I am. Hollywood better look out! House of Flying Daggers is an amazing story backed up with beautiful visuals and stylistic direction. The DVD presents the material well with a standout audio mix and very good video quality. Check this one out ASAP!

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How can a director who's done such amazingly sensitive and beautiful movies as "The Road Home" and "The Story of Qiu Ju" make such a disappointing movie??? it really broke my heart, I expected so much from this film. True, it is visually stunning like most of Yimou's work. but the story is simply idiotic and way too sentimental. When the heroine died for about the 10th time the audience in the theater simply laughed. It's such a shame, and I really hope Yimou's next film will be better... I would be sorry to take him off my favorite directors list.

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