Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42649 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-06
• 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: 114 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 splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer

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

Poetry in motion...
"House of Flying Daggers" brings you a wonderful tale you can delight in, and the opportunity to watch a movie where the use of color is so impressive that it is almost surreal, poetry in motion. Notwithstanding that, I think that you probably won't like this film unless you are prepared to suspend your disbelief at least for 119 minutes, the duration of this movie. Personally, I did exactly that, and I don't regret it at all :)

The story is set in 859 AD, when a corrupt dynasty held power in China. There is an organization called "House of Flying Daggers" that is trying to change things, but the government won't allow that. Two officers, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) are ordered to stop the rebels, and so they devise a plan to infiltrate the "House of Flying Daggers". They capture Mei (Zhang Ziyi), the blind daughter of the previous leader of the revolt, who had been posing as a courtesan. Jin rescues Mei from the jail, and tries to convince her that he would like to join the rebels, when in truth his objective is to destroy the "House of Flying Daggers". But even if everything started as a plan, will Jin be able to remember Leo's advice, "Don't fall in love for real"?.

I want to point out that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The story was great, with enough twists to keep you entertained, and plenty of outstanding fighting scenes. Chinese director Zhang Yimou made such a great use of the elements at his disposition (great actors + inspiration + music + choreography + use of colors) that many sequences seem directly out of a dream, and the spectator feels as if he were bearing witness to a real story that happened a long time ago. In a word, the results are impressive... Watch "House of Flying Daggers", and decide whether you share my opinion :)

Belen Alcat

Breathtaking visuals, negligible plot
As he did before in `Hero', Zhang Yimou delivers a film of staggeringly beautiful and strikingly memorable visuals. Newcomers to this genre of Chinese movies should be warned - the action scenes use wires and effects to create a heightened reality - this is not supposed to be realistic, but mythological in nature, much as they were in `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. Once you accept this premise however, this film has everything going for it. Ziyi Zhang is suitably enigmatically beautiful for her key role. She is the suspected member of the titular House, a group who defy the ruling dynasty. A young captain is sent to befriend her in order to locate the rebel's leader. On the journey, his feigned love to win her affections becomes less and less acted as he begins to question what he is doing. However, all is certainly not as it seems, and plenty of twists and revelations ensue.
OK, the plot is a little hokey, but it is a fable rather than an historical film, and works well with the imagery. We are treated to stunning primary colours both through nature (white snow, silver birch trees, green bamboos), the sets and the costumes - all brought magnificently together through the cinematography.
Two scenes stand out - neither are realistic action scenes, but both thoroughly memorable visual and audio delights (DTS soundtrack is recommended if you can). The first is the echo game.. the blind dancer stands in a circle of drums, and the young captain throws pebbles at the drums to which she must respond using her long cloak to strike the drums in the same order - it is a simple concept but sublime in the execution. The second is the now famous bamboo forest scene. This is a staple of these sorts of movie in its native China, and the director felt compelled to include a bamboo forest scene. But the style, colours and sound of the swishing branches creates an entirely original yet breathtaking sequence.
The music has toned down the typical Chinese sounds to create a soundtrack friendly to Western ears, and yet still maintaining Chinese character. Clearly the movie has been tailored for the international audience which makes some elements seem a tad contrived, especially next to its very slightly superior `Hero' counterpart. However, the fact is it has worked. If you can put aside the fantastic elements which take you out of reality, and let yourself be drawn into another world, then this movie experience will be richly rewarding.

Sumptuous and breathtaking masterpiece.
I wanted to catch "House of Flying Daggers" in the cinema but when I got round to it, it had finished in the cinemas. I couldn't wait for it to come on DVD so I jumped at the chance to buy it. I was really glad I did. This film is a feast for the senses.

Featuring a delicious plot with several twists and wonderful location cinematography, this film deserved the plaudits it received from the critics. The action takes place towards the end of the Tang Dynasty. A fearsome and mysterious movement called the House of Flying Daggers has formed to fight the government's corruption. Two rural deputies, Leo and Jin, map out a plan to infiltrate the group by following a blind prostitute, Mei, who is suspected of being the leader's daughter. However, none of them had anticipated the beauty and the fighting skills of this intoxicating young woman. Jin finds himself falling for Mei and Mei falls for Jin. It's only when Leo wants Mei for himself that Jin comes to Mei's rescue and fights it out with Leo.

A beautifully photographed film with dazzling fight sequences and a strong cast with Zhang Ziyi in a striking and wonderful performance as Mei. She is well supported by Andy Lau and also Takeshi Kaneshiro.

The visual poetry in the fight scenes is something to behold and I even found that the whole film had a operatic feel about it in its execution. Zhang Yimou, having employed a range of colour palettes like no other director, has conjured up an aria which mixes the emotional and the visual to imagine a world of human and natural extremes. A breathtaking and sumptuous masterpiece.