It's Difficult NOT To Enjoy This Movie

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I remember seeing this title in the Cinema with a friend I have missed ever since. I recall this being an emotional watch back then as the war within my own heart helped to afflict the character's predicament upon myself. It has been 10 years since that day, and it shall be another 10 years before I brave this title again. One thing you have to take into account when watching this film, is that it involves profound yet subtle emotional plots. I know it's "not real", but ultimately you are either the kind of person who is uncomfortable with investing themselves emotionally, or you open up & start to relate everything to your own experiences. It's not for everyone.Apart from a few POV shots that become tiresome & some choppy editing of premeditated martial arts, this isn't a bad film. The debate of whether or not a sad ending makes a film good or bad is besides the point to me. The lesson is still learn't, & that is a simple question of "Love vs. Duty", "Desire vs Honour".The actors do a spectacular job of conveying deep concealed emotions, & you feel their conflict as their love begins to suspect ambiguity amongst their intentions. Although the translation of an already cryptic script isn't forthcoming, you realise near the end that not everything is in the script. The House of the Flying Daggers is less about small cgi knives, & is more an allegorical interpretation of how both sides send small measures to test each other's resolve. Even near the end, when (the rather suspect) Nia reveals herself, she is manipulating all 3 characters. She needs all 3 dead, because they know too much & emotion has made them unstable. And in a remarkable way, pits them against each other. It's a perspicacious way of surviving through the middle ages.I remember my friend was slightly bemused about the performance; she humoured me at best. But for me, it made me cherish the small amount of time I suspected I had with her even more. Often role playing the final scenes in my head. Today, alone & lonely it cannot possibly have that effect on me. But I remember the feeling well as though I carry a dagger or a wound with me to this very day. House of Flying Daggers is not an easy watch for some. It is beautifully tragic. So often liberating; love can purify the heart, opening your eyes & ears to an endless array of colours & sounds as though you are reborn anew & immortal. But in it's absence, it can throttle your soul; turning everything white, cold, & mute.. as though you are dying a thousand deaths with each fleeting day. Indeed, the only daggers are those flying around inside.

A Chinese wuxia film riding on the coattails of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers deviates from the typical wuxia formula by being more of a love story rather than action-packed adventure. This ends up being both the strength and the weakness of the film.So what's the story. The 9th century China is in turmoil. Tang Dynasty is weakening and rebellious civil movements have begun to crop up all over the land. One of these is the eponymous House of Flying Daggers, and now the local police department believes that they have managed to locate one of the girls belonging to this organization. A plan is hatched to covertly release the girl and have her lead them to her leader. Yet problems arise as the amorous young police officer starts to fall for the fierce warrior woman.From that you can speculate much of the plot, and not in a bad way either. Sure, it's a bit predictable, but I'd rather see it as sticking to tried and true methods. Zhang Ziyi is an extremely fetching main female lead, and Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau are rather good as well as Jin and Liu, the two main police officers.Furthermore, it's an utterly gorgeous film. The settings are rich and detailed, the use of colour is phenomenal, the fight sequences are imaginative and enjoyable to look at and the music brings all together. One of the best looking films I've seen in a long time. The scenes in the bamboo forest with their thousands of shades of green are just... wow, I have no words.Yet I think that this film could have been much better with a change of focus. The setting about rebellious groups fighting against a dying dynasty is an interesting one and could have made for a really interesting adventure. Yet the main focus of the film is whether or not they really love each other? There's a missed opportunity here. Not that the love story isn't nice and heart-breaking and all that, but I was constantly questioning in my head, "Yeah, that's nice, but what about the rebellion? What about the House and its goals?" I can't exactly blame the director Yimou Zhang for trying to do something new with the genre, but perhaps a bit less adventure-oriented premise would have managed to keep my attention where it should have been.Still, it's a good film if you're looking for gorgeous visual, great action scenes and good acting performances. Recommended.

House of Flying Daggers revolves around a story where during the Tang Dynasty era, a secret organization called, "The House of Flying Daggers" is being sought after by the Chinese military. It is suspected a blind dancer is believed to have ties to the organization, so it is arranged for an officer to go undercover to befriend her and try to find a way into the organization.The main reasons to watch this movie are the for the beautiful choreographed fight scenes and the set. The fight scenes never feel rushed, and the director chose to film them in a way where you can see the entire battle unfold and enjoy it. The sets are flooded with beautiful colors, which further helps set the tones of the movie and fighting scenes.The only place where I would say the story falters slightly is in the story. The story itself is very entertaining to watch and will keep you committed to the movie when you aren't in awe of the fighting scenes, but at times the story can become predictable.Overall, this is an amazing movie. It will appeal to many different audiences with all that is offered. Fight scenes, romance, visuals, and great film making will keep you into the movie and entertained.

A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.Americans are not known for their love of Asian films, aside from anime and the occasional martial arts film. That barrier was broken with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and a few films (including this one and "Hero") were able to sneak through.I am not sure if this is a great film. Indeed, the use of color is notable, and it really embraced the new digital possibilities that were available. But is it just a visual feast, more style than substance? Hard to say, because the style so overwhelms the substance.