Love is the basis for the visually stunning epic, House of Flying Daggers. This beautifully shot tale of warriors and lovers is the latest from Chinese director, Yimou Zhang (Hero).
Set in 7th Century China as the Tang Dynasty was fading and the leadership was weak, a rebel alliance, House of Flying Daggers, is battling the deputies of the government. Jin, one of those deputies, is sent by his fellow deputy, Leo, to investigate a local brothel for a connection to the traitors. There, he finds Mei, a blind songstress who has a remarkable talent with athleticism and even martial arts acumen. Mei is not who she appears to be, and upon her arrest, she escapes with Jin’s help. It seems that Jin is rebelling too and wants to help the House rebels. Pursued relentlessly by government troops, the pair fight side by side and begin to form a bond and even affection for each other. Mei displays an incredible ability to trade blows and swordplay with the enemy. It’s a pretty amazing feat for a blind woman. As the two are cornered in a bamboo forest by dozens of troops and certain death is about to be dealt, fate intervenes and the truth is revealed setting up a new set of plot dynamics.
Is Mei really the blind daughter of the former leader of the Flying Daggers? Then again, is Jin the real deal or merely pretending to be her ally? And does Mei have a former love whose identity is a secret? If this all sounds like a soap opera, then the storyline belies Zhang’s theatrical background and his penchant for dramas. The film plays like a Greek tragedy. In fact, much of the film has a staged feel to it which is not bad since this is keeping with the style of previous sword epics. The film’s strength lies in strong characters that are in constant emotional and physical conflict. Loyalty and honor are concurrent themes amid a time of turmoil and change.
Zhang paints such a vivid tapestry of cinematic dazzle with his deliberate color schemes; the colors take on a character unto themselves. In fact, the rich visuals seduce the audience into the story. The set design and costumes are brilliant while the camera work is gorgeous. It may be the most beautiful film of the year.
Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) is very good as the blind girl, a role which requires good acting skills and athleticism. She is very credible in her performance, but it is her martial arts prowess that is phenomenal. Takeshi Kaneshiro as Jin lends a very magnetic male presence. He combines just the right mix of humor, angst and physical work to make his roguish warrior believable. Finally, veteran Andy Lau as the troubled Leo shows more acting range and just enough fighting technique. It is of note that veteran actress Anita Mui was to have a supporting role but died before she could start filming.
It is the action scenes that are the best part of this ambitious story. The highlight is certainly the bamboo forest sequence which melds expert fighting with stunt work, editing, and special effects. Don’t forget the film’s namesake, ‘daggers’, which figure at key junctures in the story with deadly accuracy. Just think of the daggers as a cross between knives and boomerangs and you get the idea.
Although the story falters toward the end, and some hokey acting seems out of place at the conclusion, the only glaring problem with the story is the lack of an overall perspective as to what happened when the House of Flying Daggers clashed with the government troops.
While not quite the perfect love story/action flick one would have hoped for, House of Flying Daggers is a distinct improvement on Zhang’s previous action film, Hero. It is a major accomplishment in telling a classical story with jaw-dropping spectacle.
***1/2 of **** stars
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