House of Flying Daggers

Pros: cinematography, Zhang Ziyi, Kaneshiro Takeshi, Andy Lau
Cons: a plot chasm to jump

The PRC's greatest film director, Zhang Yimou's "Shi mian mai fu" (the title is a frozen Chinese metaphor ten-sided ambush, that is, ambushed from all sides, that I would have translated as "No Escape"; the exoticizing "House of Flying Daggers" too ...

Pros: Visually stunning, great martial arts scenes, very entertaining
Cons: none

859 A.D., the Government of China has become corrupt, and a group of men and women has come together to right the wrongs. Known as the House of Flying Daggers they act by stealing from the rich and giving it to the poor. Their intent is much as ...

Pros: Beautiful cinematography
Cons: Too slow at times

House of Flying Daggers is a beautiful but often slow-moving film set during medieval China. It tells the story of a love triangle that accidentally formed during the plotting of a bigger scheme by a group of rebels. It stars Zhang Ziyi (of ...

Pros: beautiful cinematography, excellent action, fine performances, moments of poignancy
Cons: muddled story, overlong scenes, bends the law of the universe too many times, muddled theme

One reason the 1999 film, The Matrix, was such a hot little item was its introduction, to western audiences, to the existential pleasures of Hong Kong cinema. Somewhere, in all that sci-fi, existentialist neo film noir was some fabulous wire-fu. Not ...

Pros: Choreography; Plot twists
Cons: Not quite as [beautiful, spectacular, etc.] as other movies in the same genre

Everything about House of Flying Daggers could be said to be good, but not as good as… The love story was good, but not as good as the love story in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The imagery was good, but not as good ...

Pros: Colors. Martial arts.
Cons: Melodramatic story. Words.

Secret societies, love triangles, and identity obfuscations. General Hospital? Nope, this is a movie. The Skulls? No, a recent release. The Skulls 4? Heck no. The latest lame Bond ripoff? Not really. Surprisingly these three ...

Pros: Good story telling, beautifully shoot film, outstanding performances.
Cons: Ended too soon.

In the West among the more common folk (and let’s face it, the not-so-common folk as well) China and its vast, long, and proud history, remains a mysterious land wrapped in a shroud of uncertainty. It goes without saying that the Chinese culture is ...

Pros: Magnificent visuals, intricate and exciting martial arts scenes, solid performances
Cons: Very little plot, laughable romance, little character development, other script flaws

When a film fits into a well-established genre category, reviewers quite naturally evaluate that film against the rest of its genre. The standards by which a particular film within a genre is measured become increasingly well defined over time. Like ...

Pros: Some amazing set pieces
Cons: Treacly story; hammy acting; second half; Kathleen Battle

You know you're in trouble when your period romantic martial arts (wuxia) film receives at first stifled, then out loud giggles from the audience during the most unabashedly “romantic” scene of your film. I feel sorry for ...

Pros: The stunning cinematography has to be seen to be believed.  Everything else falls into place.
Cons: The plot can be a bit languid.

House of Flying Daggers (Shi Mian Mai Fu) (2004) Directed by Yimou ZhangA rare beauty in the North. She's the finest lady on earth. A glance from her, the whole city goes down. A second glance leaves the nation in ...

Pros: Some good kung fu, freakin gorgeous, well composed
Cons: A bit silly, really

Everybody and their mum is gonna be comparing House of Flying Daggers to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Superficially, they're right, in the same way that you can compare The Last Starfighter to ...

Pros: Enthralling, visually splendid, great leads, great directing, good music.
Cons: Ending rather drawn out. Animal lovers might be distressed by a couple of scenes.

Director Zhang Yimou Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro - Jin Andy Lau - Leo Ziyi Zhang - Mei Duration: 118 minutes (In Mandarin, English sub-titles) Intro Most of the Chinese movies I’ve seen and enjoyed have been ...

Pros: Ziyi Zhang is vibrant and full of life; her eyes totally mesmerize the camera.
Cons: Unintentionally, there were more laughs than tears in the conclusion.

House of Flying Daggers is certainly enjoyable and well worth seeing. It's a martial arts flick that can pass as a date movie -- now that's not bad... ...

Pros: The costumes, the colors, the choreography, and the plot
Cons: There are some slow bits

Recently I’ve been on a foreign film kick (because let’s face it...I’m tired of Hollywood), and I have to say that I haven’t been disappointed at all lately. These flicks are actually quite good. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen ...

Pros: Beautifully filmed, wonderful sound, great choreography
Cons: Over acted, lazy script, overly dramatic predictable story

Zhang Yimou has an extraordinarily keen eye. He, along with what must be some of the most talented cinematographers, is able to consistently create films that are, if nothing else, a joy to watch for their beauty. I was first introduced to his work when ...