Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
After the surprise (to Miramax) box-office performance of HERO, I’m betting Sony Pictures Classics pulls out all the stops when putting HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS in theaters this Christmas. After all, they’re the company that had such a huge hit with CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and they’ve been very smart about releasing other Asian titles like Kim Ki-Duk’s SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER AND SPRING and his upcoming 3-IRON, which they just acquired at Toronto. They know what they’re doing, and it sounds like they’ve got the right film at the right time with DAGGERS:
LAVISH and just plain FUCKIN' COOL!!!
"House of Flying Daggers" is a visual and audio treat. As Zhang Yimou's second stab at the wuxia pian genre, HoFD satistfies mild critics of Hero who wanted the principal cast to remain abit more, shall we say, grounded.
The film is set in the ninth century China where the Tang Dynasty is rotten with government corruption. In comes a band of rebels known as the House of Flying Daggers winning the hearts and minds of the common folk. Two captains of the local authority Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) are tasked to shut the House down. Their lead in the investigation is the ravishing and quiet talented Mei played by Zhang Yizi. In the span of about two (2) hours we see daggers fly, arrows loosened, swords clash and bamboos exploding apart as we are told a story of undercover agents and romantic interplay. As for the martial arts, Zhang Yimou has matured somewhat in this department. I would love to detail the Echo Game (parts one and two), the Autumn Forest Battle, the Field of Flowers, and the Bamboo Forest Ambush sequences but that would be spoiling the fun. We come for the ride, literally, as the blades, arrows, quarterstaves, and hands and feet strike their mark with unerring and lethal results.
If there is one dull edge in HoFD is the last ten (10) minutes of the film. Audiences will undoubtedly snicker at the melodrama layered ontop like a thick blanket of snow. The dialogue during a few points of the film is abit awkward; even more so if you understand Mandarin. One aspect of HoFD no one can ever fault, however, is the incredible and rich tapestry of colours and gorgeous scenary. The House of Flying Daggers is, on balance, a great movie. Give it a chance come December 2004 when Sony Pictures Classics will give this film a wide release in Canada and the United States: uncut, unedited and subtitled.
Cool. Who’s next?
Harry, Moriarty and the rest of the boys,
Well, long time reader of your site and hopefully first time contributor.
I was fortunate enough to attend the North American premiere of "The House of the Flying Daggers" at the Toronto Film Festival on 09/11/04. Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi were in attendance, and they introduced the movie. Zhang Yimou talked with the help of a translator however, Zhang Ziyi used English to tell us "how privileged she was in working with Zhang Yimou, how he gave her some freedom in her role and that this was her first time in Toronto". She's even more gorgeous in person if you can believe that (trust me sitting on the second row right in front of the stage, you got to see her close enough).
On to the movie, in short this is the plot of the movie: Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau are deputies Jin and Leo, who set a trap to track Zhang Ziyi (Mei, the blind daughter of the leader of outlaws "House of Flying Daggers") to her home so that they can expose the outlaws' identities and hideout. But as they follow, they begin to discover plots within plots, and that no one is who they claim themselves to be...
Just to warn you that I will use some minor spoilers in order to write down my feelings toward this movie.
I came away totally indifferent for this movie. I really wanted to like it but in the end, there were too many things that distracted me from enjoying it greatly. The biggest problem I had with the movie was the dialogue. For being a Zhang Yimou film, it had the corniest and silliest lines uttered in the screen. Also the ending, characters don't die when they should; and the film doesn't end when it should. People in the theatre were actually laughing during this critical juncture of the film. I don't think that was the emotion that the director was trying to evoke for his ending.
Out of the three principal actors, I was most impressed with Takeshi Kaneshiro (I have never seen any of his movies before). He gave a great effort in the role and fitted his character very well. On the other hand, both Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi were very disappointing. After seeing Mr. Lau in "Infernal Affairs" is almost breaks my heart seeing him so wooden and out of place in here. For Zhang Ziyi, it felt that she had no chemistry with the other actors which is a huge problem since the main plot of the movie is the love story. However, she does look good in this movie so I won't be too hard on her.
Some of the good parts of the film were the Bamboo scene which really kick ass and the "Echo Game" (drum) scene with Zhang Ziyi and Andy Lau. The visuals of the film were not up to par to "Hero" and the film almost had a grainy looked to it (don't know if it was intentional or not). Although the use of the seasons especially Fall and Winter were really good.
One other thing that I almost forgot, Zhang Yimou used CGI on some of the shots which can be a little distracting especially nowadays that it seems every movie with an action scene uses this method.
People seeing this film needs to be aware that this movie is a love story, not a "wuxia" or "kung fu" film. People expecting the latter will be disappointed. Overall, I'll recommend this movie as a DVD rental and nothing more than that.
Thanks
Call me Carefree Wind if you use this review.
Fair enough. Seemed like a very reasonable review. Next up?
Hi Harry,
I just got back from a screening of The House of Flying Daggers. There've already been stacks written about it, so I don't know if this review would be useful, but it had a fairly strong impact on me.
About a year or so ago, my love of movies faded away to the point where I almost lost my movie geekiness. I just didn't really care anymore; maybe I saw one too many mediocre films, maybe life got in the way, but for the exorbitant amounts being charged to see a new release these days, it just didn't seem worth it anymore. I mean, there's always video (well, dvd) right? But tonight, I remembered why I love watching movies, and why there's really no substitute to watching them at the theatre.
The House of Flying Daggers is definitely not perfect - there were several moments (occurring more frequently as the movie progressed) like the love scenes or in the final scene where it seemed to get a little awkward or silly (remember the love scene from Enemy at the Gates? it seemed like Vassili & Tania just weren't really happy to be having sex? that made me giggle. in Flying Daggers, at times it was like watching awkward teenagers grabbing at each other to see if there's any available flesh. that also made me giggle. and the ending....oy). Coming hot on the heels of Hero's North American release, it pales in comparison, especially since you can't help but have echos of Crouching Tiger in the back of your mind.. The House of Flying Daggers is pretty formulaic and the twists aren't exactly major surprises, but don't we all know what we're in for when we watch one of these wuxia films? You watch them to be transported to a place where kickass fights, displays of stoic heroism, and drama are the norm.
The House of Flying Daggers has all of those in spades. I really liked Takeshi Kaneshiro, and I always love Zhang Ziyi (it certainly doesn't hurt the film that both actors are extremely attractive). What really caught my attention was the cinematography. It was like watching poetry. Magic realism and film are a great combination for pure escapism. Watching the film, I was reminded that sometimes amongst the heaps of mediocrity on celluloid, you come across moments of art. The beginning was probably my favourite part, the way dance and martial arts were blended together during Mei's stint as a showgirl; the echo game scene was phenomenal! And I loved the stark contrast, when Mei rides away from Jin, between the lush greenness around her and the blank whiteness around him.....the way the colours became more saturated and intense as the Flying Daggers appeared, as the film neared its climax.....the way the seasons changed throughout the film (yeah, it's sort of a silly symbolic gimmicky thing, I guess, but I still liked it).
Overall, The House of Flying Daggers is a good movie with some great moments, but there are many better films out there. I doubt I would watch The House of Flying Daggers again, but it was a nice welcome back to the film festival - sort of like walking into a candy store and realizing that all your favourite sweets are an arm's length away....
Anyway, if you use this, just call me Buttercup.
Awesome. Thanks, everyone.
"Moriarty" out.
