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House of Flying Daggers

1736 votes

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

Status: Released

Released Date: 2004-08-03

Runtime: 119 mins

Director: Zhang Yimou

Writer: Zhang Yimou, Wang Bin

Spoken language: 普通话

Genres: Adventure, Drama, Action

Original title: House of Flying Daggers

Production Companies: Beijing New Picture Film Co. Ltd., China Film Co-Production Corp., Elite Group Enterprises, Zhang Yimou Studio, Focus Features, Sony Pictures Classics, Edko Films, Animal Logic

Production Countries: China, Hong Kong, Australia, United States of America

Cast

Takeshi Kaneshiro

Andy Lau

Zhang Ziyi

Song Dandan

Zhao Hongfei

Guo Jun

Zhang Shu

Wang Jiusheng

Zhang Zhengyong

Yongxin Wang

Shield Warrior

Dong Liu

Qi Zi

Xuedong Qu

Liping Tian

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Though the story isn't really very strong here the combination of beautiful visual effects and precision martial arts makes for an enjoyable depiction of Chinese mystical intrigue. "Mei" (Ziyi Zhang) is a mute dancer who attracts the attention of police captain "Jin" (Takeshi Kaneshiro) after she is very nearly raped at the "Peony Palace". She is also arrested but he helps her escape and into the dense forest they head, pursued by the police and fearful of the eponymous freedom fighters who are rumoured to dwell deep amongst the tall bamboo. Of course, as they travel they begin to fall in love but he's not quite ready for the surprise she delivers nor for his response as he must make a choice between his heart and his loyalty. Meantime, there's the jealous "Leo" (Andy Lau) on the scene who is determined to see his love stays with him or nobody! It's the stylish and vibrant look of this adventure that helps it stand out. The perfect choreography of the dances and the combat scenes couples well with some impressive imagery that tests and provokes just about all of our senses as the mystery unravels as easily as the folds in her intricately woven gown. I was slightly disappointed by the denouement which I think might be testament to the performances from the two travellers who managed to ensure I cared what happened to them as they twisted and twirled their way through the imaginatively photographed trees. It certainly benefits from a big screen and from it's big audio, too.

2024-05-20

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