This is my number one most anticipated movie, it’s gonna fuckin rule sooooo much. Zhang Ziyi’s in it once again and I hear the fight scenes are even better than the ones in Hero and there’s alot more of them. The last 10 minutes of the film in the snowstorm is supposed to be one of the most dramatic endings ever filmed.
I’m going to see this at the New York Film Festival. Got my tickets. Can’t wait.
I’ve been going back and watching a lot of Yimou Zhang movies, from RAISE THE RED LANTERN to SHANGHAI TRIAD. I’m determined that Gong Li is an amazing actress. And Zhang is an awesome dramatic director.
Starring: Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Dandan Song
Yimou Zhang’s Attempt to be Ang Lee
At the U.S. premiere at the 2004 New York Film Festival of Yimou Zhang’s new martial arts follow up to Hero, he said before the movie that he was concerned to have a bamboo scene in this film, due to his appreciation for the amazing scene in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He didn’t want to copy that scene. It’s too bad that House of Flying Daggers seems to be trying to duplicate Lee in more ways than one.
Members of the House of Flying Daggers take from the rich and give to the poor, like Robin Hood. The government wants them dead for this. The dead leader of the Flying Daggers has a blind daughter. When a blind courtesan tries to attack the General, Leo, they think she’s the daughter and arrest her. Leo busts her out, because he says he’s against the government too. Is he there to help get her home? Is he in cahoots with the government?
House of Flying Daggers has more twists and turns than Hero, and more moles and double agents than Infernal Affairs. By the end, what Zhang tries to pass off as deep seeded feelings and relationships, just becomes a laughable mess. He’s obviously trying to copy the emotional and romantic relationships that work so well in Crouching Tiger, but the plot is too complicated to be pulled off effectively.
Despite the convoluted storyline, the action scenes are pretty amazing, as well as the sound. The bamboo scene may not upstage the one in Crouching Tiger, but it sure is action packed. Unfortunately, by the end, the action gets just as ridiculous as the plot, as certain characters supposedly die, but keep coming back to life. It reminded me of the sappy ending in Far and Away where Tom Cruise’s character woke up after the camera panned out like he was dead. And the snow scene seems like a poor man’s version of the brilliant finale in Kill Bill: Volume 1.
Instead of sticking to his highly praised remarkable dramatic filmsâ€â€
I haven’t written my formal review of HERO yet. But I do have it on my best of 2004 list. If I were to rate it, I’d probably give it an A-.
I was quite disappointed with FLYING DAGGERS. However, I guess it’s worth seeing for a couple of good action scenes, and the sound. The sound really stood out in this film. Basically a C+ in my book is a mild thumbs down. And I feel we should critique our favorite directors, so that next time, hopefully, they’ll make better films.
Have you seen any of Zhang’s dramatic films, especially those starring Gong Li?
Hero just got released here in Australia on November 4th. I am seeing it this weekend and I am so excited that I am almost exploding. It’s got 5/5 stars everywhere I have looked.
House of Flying Daggers is released in January here in Australia and I have read mixed reviews. Some say that it tops Hero. Others say that it is a dissapointment.
I’ve read that it has two moods (action and drama) that don’t mix properly. The transitions are apparently too sudden and the whole movie is just a jerky clash. I will still see it with an open mind. If it’s Yimou’s attempt to be Ang Lee, I don’t think he would fail at all to create the same mood as Ang. I am looking forward to it, but for now I am going to concentrate all my excitement for Hero!!!
you can see (scroll down) the scenes which are cutted out of the american theatre version of HoFD. Probaly due to the fact that they want a PG 13 rating, two scenes are not shown in american theatres.
btw, on the site you can d/l (legal, IMO) the dancing scene and the song deliverd by Ziyi.
Saw it in the cinema. I liked it. I liked ‘Hero’ but I liked this one even more. Similar to my experience being blown away by Mike Leigh’s ‘Naked’ on the television and then seeing ‘Secrets and Lies’ at the cinema and getting the shock that he made a film better than his previous excellent effort. I saw Raise The Red Lantern at The Henley Film Society over a decade ago and that’s a good film too.
An article in The Big Issue mentioned that Zhang Yimou sold his blood to get his first camera. Now that is passion for making movies. Apparently he is a big fan of Denzil Washington. The UK DVD release of ‘Hero’ will include a discussion with Jet Li and Quentin Tarantino.
[quote=“The Shepherd”]
CPS, how did you like this? you posted that you ordered the DVD in october, so how is it?
i’m quite curious
[/quote]
I was impressed of the movie, when I saw it on my little TV at home.
Today I went to the theatre to see it on the big screen and it was such a great film.
It comes - for me - close to HERO.
I was with Diceman there, it seems he loved OoFD a little bit more than Hero.For me Hero.
But, Yimou is really a great director. Everyone should see the movie.
Thats right, “House of flying Daggers” is such an awesome movie, it took my breath right from the beginning and didn’t let me breathe, before it was finished. Mainly I think, it were the colours and the excellent camera-work which did it for me. A little bit like “Hero”, but the fight-scenes were a lot more exciting. In “Hero” they had a certain abstract quality, just for the sake of beauty. I like this as well, but in “HOFD” the fights got a kinetic energy beyond measure without lacking the dancing-like appeal. And those beautiful slo-mo and bullet-time-effects got me all pumped up, they didn’t seem lame, just for the sake of cool like in so many other movies, rather they delivered a sense of pure poetry. Most important, though, the characters didn’t fail to deilver the story. There wasn’t a lot of memorable acting, especially Andy Lau seemed to be a little stiff sometimes, but you got to care for the characters and in the end such minor things didn’t matter at all.The whole finale in the snow was such a breathtaking experience for me, I’m still spellbound. But my favorite scene in this movie must be the second dancing-sequence right in the beginning, where Zhang Ziyi claps those drums with her silk wardrobe, and of course the following sword-fight with Takeshi Kaneshiro. Choreography was perfect and together with all those beautiful colors whirling around on-screen, the whole sequence kinda made me dizzy, but in a very good way. Everyone go and see this movie, you’re in for a treat for eyes and ears. I’d give it a 10 out of 10 and I dare say, I’ve already seen one of the best movies coming out in 2005!
[quote=“diceman”]
my favorite scene in this movie must be the second dancing-sequence right in the beginning, where Zhang Ziyi claps those drums with her silk wardrobe, and of course the following sword-fight with Takeshi Kaneshiro.[/quote]
She fights Andy Lau in that scene, but I agree with you on the whole dance sequence. Eye candy.
I liked HOUSE, but not as much as I liked HERO. The action scenes are a bit more paced, especially Kaneshiro´s break-in to free the captured maid - short, but powerful. The last fight in the snow doesn´t impressed me that much. The best thing for me was the sound effects, great work. And little Zhang looks cute as she always does.
Ah yes, you’re right, I confused them both, because the whole sequence started with Takeshi Kaneshiro. And it wasn’t so much the fight in the snow-hurricane, that impressed me, but the use of colour, the instant change of autumn-colors to cold winter and of course the whole melodrama-thing in the showdown. I’ve got a thing for it, I just love to be manipulated in emotional terms . . .
