House of Flying Daggers
In ancient China, an undercover cop breaks a blind female warrior out of jail in hopes that she will lead him to her revolutionary faction called the Flying Daggers.
Director Zhang Yimou’s films are such works of art you could freeze any scene at any time, print it, frame it and hang it in a museum. It’s what gives his films an easily recognizable flair. Like other distinctive directors such as Quentin Tarrantino and Ang Lee, from the moment we see the first scenes of his films, we know it can only be Zhang Yimou who directed it.
His stories, too, are so filled with strong and pure themes of love, hate, revenge, betrayal and loyalty, that, combined with the aesthetic beauty of the settings and costumes, they take on an operatic essence.
“Hero,” distributed in the U.S. in 2004, had these qualities and even added a unique use of spot color to signify onscreen emotions. In “House of Flying Daggers,” Yimou’s newest work, he refines his style to an art form. The final showdown between two warriors, for instance, is shot in a blinding snowstorm, lending power and uniqueness to a scene already charged with emotion.
Yimou also knows how to choose actors that can portray the kind of passionate characters he cherishes. For instance, international sensation Zhang Ziyi, (“Hero,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) dominates the screen as a blind female warrior with the perfect balance of vulnerability and strength.
Ziyi plays Mei, a member of a rebel warrior clan called the Flying Daggers. When she is captured by police, an undercover cop named Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) breaks her out, hoping to win her trust and convince her to lead him to the secret whereabouts of the infamous revolutionary faction. Instead, the two fall madly in love. But, like Romeo and Juliet, this forbidden love brings mounting complications that test the strength of their bond.
Gripping performances from both lead characters, combined with an emotional story and artistic directing, make this film an exceptional achievement.
In addition to the duel fought in the snowstorm, two other scenes stand out for their unusual and captivating nature. One, takes place at a luxurious brothel called the Peony Pavilion, the other in a bamboo forest.
Jin and Leo (Andy Lau) first meet Mei in a luxurious brothel called the Peony Pavilion, where Leo challenges her to The Echo Game. Here, the dance floor is surrounded by drums on sticks. Jin hits a drum with a bean and Mei is to answer back by hitting the same drum with the weighted end of a long sleeve. First one, then three, then an entire bowl of beans are thrown, to which Mei answers back in a kind of percussionist ballet.
The fight scene in the bamboo forest, while reminiscent of the treetop swordfight of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” takes on a life of its own when warriors throw sharp bamboo shafts at Jin and Mei, locking them in place like a bamboo jail.
These are only two of many scenes that are exquisitely well orchestrated and finessed with Yimou’s talented hand, and which, together, form a beautiful tapestry of art and passion.
The DVD has many special features, as well. But, unfortunately, they do little to complement the film. The “making of” segment is more like propaganda for the movie than information about its inner workings, and the special effects segment, while marginally interesting, doesn’t really talk about how the effects were achieved. It simply shows a computer model of the scene and then replays the scene to show the final result.
Written by: Keli Ayr Brooks
Reviewers Rating: 8.5
Reader's Rating: 9.80
Reader's Votes: 5
Added: 12-May-2005
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