Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16371 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-05-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 119 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
No one uses colour 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 honour. 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 splendour and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Following up his award-winning martial-arts drama HERO, director Zhang Yimou (JU DOU, RAISE THE RED LANTERN) tells an intricately detailed love story in the swordfighting epic HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, set during the final days of the Tang Dynasty. A mysterious group called the Flying Daggers is a dangerous threat to the government, so police captain Leo (Andy Lau) sends his right-hand man, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), undercover to try to find the rebels' location. Jin, a notorious playboy, pretends he is a roving warrior called 'Wind' and befriends Mei (Ziyi Zhang), a blind dancer who is believed to be the daughter of the former leader of the Daggers. As he leads her across the countryside, they are 'attacked' by government soldiers--but these battles are staged by Leo in order to convince Mei that Jin is on her side. But when a general orders that Mei must be captured at any cost, the fighting turns real, and Jin must decide between his loyalty to his job and his growing love for Mei. Meanwhile, Mei battles her feelings for Jin as well, trying to hide her true self. Zhang's gorgeous, compelling film is filled with beautiful singing and dancing, marvellous costumes, and wonderful locations; the scene in the Bamboo Forest is unforgettable, as is the Echo Game, which Leo and Mei play in the Peony Pavilion. There are also twists throughout the film and by the time the end comes, audiences will be spinning their heads in awe and amazement at the never ending wonders of this special movie. The film is dedicated to Anita Mui, who was to have a starring role before her unexpected death.

Customer Reviews

A cut above the rest
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, movement and most astonishingly even a couple of sequences that surpass anything even the sumptuous "Hero" had to offer. House of Flying Daggers is a luscious visual banquet and you will want to feast till you are bloated.
The plot sees Police Captains Lee (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi 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, a blind prisoner played by the scorchingly beautiful Zhang 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.
While all the performances are excellent with Takeshi Kaneshiro particularly outstanding, it is once again the unforgettable array of images that elevate this movie into the realms of the spectacular. Snow that falls in tear shaped drops, the "Echo Game" which is mesmerising in its use of Zhang Ziyi, s athleticism and makes "Simply Come Dancing" look like a sack race. There is another of those extraordinary gravity defying duels in an emerald bamboo forest and Mei,s escape from a hail of arrows apes stunts from other movies but has never been carried out with such poise and grace.
Yimou is superbly adept at transporting the viewer to another place and time, but after two films set in Ancient China maybe it's time he tackled something more contemporary, or perhaps moved to a different genre. Horror or fantasy would be very interesting (How about George R R Martins "A Game of Thrones, or China Meivilles "Perdido Street Station"?) I'm certain his eye for the exquisite potential for beauty in every frame would translate well into any style. Having said that , if he continues on his current course and takes talent such as Ziyi and Lau with him , I for one won't complain if they are as entertaining, intelligent and eye meltingly gorgeous as House Of The Flying Daggers.

Flying beauty
Here's one word that sums up this film: Beauty. The plot of "House of Flying Daggers" (original title: "Shi mian mai fu") is lacking, but in a way it's made up for with the intoxicating sets, costumes, and exquisite love story. Zhang Yimou backs away from the grandeur of "Hero" in favor of a more intimate story.

It's 859 A.D., near the end of the corrupt Tang Dynasty. A guerilla rebellion called House of the Flying Daggers (who are able to throw knives at great distances) has sprung up against the government. Despite the loss of their leader, the rebels are thriving. Deputy Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) decides to go undercover to infiltrate the House, and he tries to get the trust of blind courtesan Mei (Zhang Ziyi), daughter of the House's dead leader.

But soon he begins to fall in love with Mei, jeopardizing his loyalties, while Mei herself is experiencing confusion. But government officials want Mei dead because of her sympathies -- and even worse, they don't realize that Jin is undercover. To make things worse, Jin is not the only rival for Mei's love -- his best friend is as well.

Director Zhang Yimou apparently said that "Hero" was the warm-up to "House of Flying Daggers." It does seem more polished and fully realized, without the "Rashomon" storytelling. Instead of a war movie, it's a mixture of fairy-tale romance and beauty, and spies and guerilla warfare. The final half-hour is the stumbling block, where some plot threads come unravelled. Things get pretty confusing.

Zhang doesn't drop the ball as far as stylism goes -- color and exquisite details are in every frame. They have an almost intoxicating effect, and so do the action sequences. One of the most memorable scenes is Ziyi performing the "echo game," where she strikes drums in a particular rhythm with her flowing clothing. Not to mention a balletic, dreamlike fight in a bamboo forest, with the participants soaring and dipping like Cirque de Soleil dancers. It's all completely unreal, but there lies its beauty, like a painting of the sky that focuses on the sun and not the clouds.

This is entirely Zhang Ziyi's picture -- since her debut in "The Road Home," Ziyi has proved herself a wonderful actress. "House of Flying Daggers" focuses mostly on Ziyi, and she gives a truly exquisite performance, particularly when she pretends to be a blind woman -- watch her face. The two supporting actors, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, do a solid job in their roles, particularly Kaneshiro, who brings plenty of life to what could have been another cliched bad-cop-turned-lover.

"House of Flying Daggers" is worth seeing just to see -- it's visual ecstacy packed around a fairly typical love triangle plot and a slightly disappointing final half hour. But the sights alone in this intimate love story are exquisite.

Art, plot, fight scenes, Flying daggers has it all.
This film is superior to crouching tiger, and most of the other films presenting material is this genre, It is difficult to fault it anywhere. Artisticaly filmed with almost metaphoric climatic scenes, clever and imaginative fight scenes, love, love-lost, human reflection and drama, mirroring the tragic human condition of people trapped like pawns between powerful idealistic struggles.

If you love fight scenes and your partner loves romance, this is one you can watch together without either of you taking your eyes off the screen.

I have seen thousands of movies. This is among my top ten of all time and my top one in this genre. If film were a canvas, this would be a masterpiece on a grand scale: a da vinche!

The big bonus is, you can watch it again and again just to see beauty and drama merge seamlessly together. A film once seen will never be forgotten. Forget every clever fight scene you have ever seen because this movie surpasses everything done before. Fast, slick, unexpected moments over and over again.

Brilliant. See it and be stunned!