House of Flying Daggers
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Actor: Andy Lau, Dandan Song, Hongfei Zhao, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Ziyi ZhangBrand: ZHANG,ZIYI
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed); English (Published), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 119 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-04-19
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of House of Flying Daggers
DVD Review: A Flying Masterpiece, A Beautiful Love Story.
Summary: 5 Stars
Zhang Yimou's HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is the much-awaited follow up to his highly acclaimed movie "HERO". The following DVD review is based on the 2-Disk presentatation with English subtitles released in Asia in 2004. However, since the initial US release of April 2005 appears to be a single disk, I will focus my review on Disk 1 of the above package namely the movie itself.
I saw Daggers prior to "Hero" so this was my first experience of an Asian movie in quite some time, and my opinions are from a westerner's viewpoint looking in as it were. I am not an expert on martial arts but I can understand some of the negative reviews from those expecting another "Hero". "House of Flying Daggers" is a triangle love story; it is not a fully blown martial arts movie. There are scenes of martial arts but this film is no "Hero".
When I first viewed "House of Flying Daggers" I was completely blown away by its amazing visuals. People have been impressed by Christopher Doyle's cinematography in "Hero", but Xiading Zhou who also worked on same, raises the bar as cameraman on "House of Flying Daggers". He delivers some incredible footage that in my view puts "Hero" in the shade. In fact this movie is a far superior film to "Hero" in every department. For one, the script is a big improvement over the previous film, and it's obvious a lot of work went into it because it shows. The story is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing throughout the movie. Secondly, there are some breathtaking set pieces, which I will go into in more detail later.
The film centers around three characters played by Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Zhang Ziyi. Lau and Kaneshiro play two government captains namely Leo and Jin. While Ziyi is a blind dancer called Mei, whom Leo suspects is the daughter of the former rebel leader of the House of Flying Daggers. She is also a specialist with the dagger as we later discover in the movie. This is 859AD, and we are told of a corrupt government in decline the Tang Dynasty. Director Zhang Yimou wisely avoids the temptation of developing the film into a blockbuster like "Hero", and largely focuses on the relationship of the three leads.
Captain's Leo and Jin hatch a plan to infiltrate the Peony Pavilion where Mei (Zhang Ziyi) works as a dancer. Jin pretends he is a lone warrior known as Wind, and arrives at the Pavilion to try and tease out Mei. Unfortunately Jin causes a commotion when he tries to make love to Mei, and is duly arrested by Leo as part of his plan. He also decides to arrest Mei, but concedes he would release her if she agreed to play the echo game with him. This involves throwing pebbles at a large circle of pedestal drums, with the blind percipient identifying the correct sequence by tapping same with an extended dress scarf.
This drum segment featuring Zhang Ziyi took twenty days to shoot, and is one of the most astonishing combinations of sound and vision that I have seen since Sergio Leone's cemetery masterpiece in "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly". While Mei initially agrees to play the echo game, she astounds everyone by using this diversion as a tool to try and take Leo's life. Leo suppresses Mei and has her thrown in jail. Seeing this as an opportunity, Leo arranges a prison break with Jin acting as her accomplice. The plan, with Jin operating as Mei's escort, it was hoped she would lead them to the underground movement known as the House of Flying Daggers.
Thus the journey of both Mei and Jin (Wind) begins. To consolidate the charade, Leo orchestrates a number of fake ambushes. However, his plan comes unstuck when the General of the region takes over his duties, and orders his army to attack them without informing his soldiers that Jin is undercover. What follows are a number of mesmerizing set pieces with the bamboo forest escapade been one of the standouts.
I fully accept the various complaints about continuity problems with the forests and other anomalies in "Daggers". However it should be noted that movies are never about the nail been straight, but do require extensive use of an element on the right side of the brain known as the imagination.
As Mei and Jin continue their escape they gradually realize there is a mutual attraction between them, but Jin senses Mei is somewhat reserved in this newfound relationship. Though he cannot understand her reasons, he is nonetheless determined to win her heart.
There's a beautiful scene shot in the Ukraine, where Jin in cavalry poise, seizes some flowers for Mei while riding horse back. The blending of this scene, with the movie's extremely catchy theme music, delivers a genuine emotional sucker punch. It shows a poignant side that I was not expecting from a film of this type. Too often we in the west look upon Asian films as rather impassive, but this movie shows our eastern friends share the same feelings as the rest of us, and in this case puts many Hollywood films to shame.
I won't attempt to divulge any more of the storyline, except to say; do pay attention to Leo's (Andy Lau) dialogue in the second half of the movie, as there is a neat little twist in the final minute which is extremely clever. It goes without saying that Zhang Ziyi looks good in Daggers, though I've always felt eastern women have an unfair advantage over everybody else; they seem more beautiful. If you enjoy tales of mystery and romance this is a must see DVD, in fact it's probably one of the best love stories I have ever seen.
Description of House of Flying Daggers
A pair of police deputies at the end of China's Tang Dynasty attempt to save a beautiful dancer, with revolutionary ties, from capture.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 1-JAN-2007
Media Type: DVD
No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer
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