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| House of Flying Daggers |
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List Price: $19.94
Buy New: $7.75
You Save: $12.19 (61%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 253 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1139
Category: DVD
Actors: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Dandan Song, Hongfei Zhao, Jun Guo (ii), Shu Zhang, Jiusheng Wang, Zhengyong Zhang, Yongxin Wang, Dong Liu (ii), Qi Zi, Xuedong Qu, Liping Tian, Hongwei Zhao, Weina Huang, Dan Ge, Xiadong Yang, Yisha Shang, Ying Liu
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Studio: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Label: Sony Pictures
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Cantonese Chinese (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 119 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 140497010X
UPC: 043396091788
EAN: 0043396091788
ASIN: B0007Q6VXC
Release Date: April 19, 2005
Theatrical Release Date: January 14, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer
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Customer Reviews: Read 248 more reviews...
 Too much greenery. Not enough story. July 27, 2006
This started off great. Colorful imagery, tons of juicy eye candy, but somehow, even the magic of art could not compensate for the lack of a lasting, intriguing storyline. I was fascinated at first, but I felt I needed more. More of what? I'm not quite sure. But it seemed like, the forest the two characters take a journey through dominated the whole movie in a way I wish it hadn't. I think it would have been better if they shot some scenes outside that bamboo forest, if maybe they shot to the emperor, or to a little village. We had too much to focus on the forest, which means, they drowned us silly in the green of the leaves. Which was fine, except here, you are, as the viewer, watching these two characters' every move, and they are being chased by these soldiers, and yet where the soldiers come from is very abstract. It is just a theory; you do not see the actual empire. I would have liked to see that empire, or to see that village. It would have painted a much clearer picture to me. Because, yes, the forest was lush and gorgeous, but shot after shot after shot of it just made it monotonous, and that forest could not compensate for the less than adequate storyline.
 Intriguing Beautiful Love Amidst Clandestine Operations/War July 15, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Better than "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" this story gradually reveals an unexpected love triangle which contains amazing martial arts choreography woven into a stunning visual masterpiece of epic proportions. The unusual love-triangle is heart-stopping ... the fight scene at the conclusion of the film is a gut-wrenching and powerful. The close-up scenes of pure emotions reveal both artistic cinematography as well as superb acting: whether it is desire, bliss, lust, rage, doubt, torment, suffering or other emotions ... the visual effects are absolutely amazing.
This film has it all: gorgeous period costumes designed by Emi Wada, spectacular landscapes like delicate water colors and oil paintings on canvas and visually pleasing actors and actresses ... They are fairy-tale like in their magnificence. The mountain scenery is breath-taking as the fall foliage paints a collage of orange, red, fading green and brown leaves which are exceptionally stunning from a distance. The field of wild flowers where Jin and Mei playfully discover the depth of their true feelings for each other is a natural wonder. They express their feelings gently at first and then with passionate abandon ... The martial arts fighting scenes in the bamboo forest where the government soldiers ambush Jin and Mei during their escape is exceptionally creative and well filmed ...
This enhanced DVD has a great interview with the director Yimou Zhang who explains that bamboo forests have been symbolic of martial arts in films from long ago and he felt it must be included. Watching the interview, the viewer learns to appreciate the amount of planning and background work which is painstakingly done to perfection to film this artistic masterpiece ... Ziyi Zhang who plays Mei, lived with a blind girl for two months to learn the proper body and head movements in order to play a blind girl accurately. Also, she had studied traditional Chinese dance when a young girl which helped her learn the choreographed dance and martial arts movements in her outstanding performance in the scene for General Leo at the Peony Pavillion. The original music in the film is fantastic, Kathryn Battle sings the theme song which is sung by Mei during her dance performance for Captain Jin. It is a totally heart warming performance that captivates Jin and wins over the viewers ...
The story begins in a brothel called "Peony Pavillion" where government officers visit for a tryst with the ladies and to be entertained ... The visual effects of the establishment are extraordinairily authentic, the set design, bright colors, flowers, and weapons on the wall are all extremely balanced and harmonious ... After Mei, the blind dancing girl does a magnificent martial arts and dance performance for General Leo, she is taken prisoner. She is believed to be the blind daughter of the dead leader of a clandestine organization, called "House of Flying Daggers" who are resisting government authority and creating unrest and rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. General Leo's plan is to flush out the covert operatives ... but unexpected emotional relationships develop to confound his plans. How the love triangle is revealed and resolved is the stuff of which great films are made. The story line itself is deceptively simple ... but its execution is thoroughly unequalled. The film expresses how in the short time of three days true feelings of love can develop with unequalled depth and passion. It can grow into becoming one of the most complex human emotions ever put on film. Erika Borsos (pepper flower)
Epic July 4, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I loved this film. I know that there are alot of haters of Ziyi Zhang but I dont know why. Ziyi is a great actress. She plays a blind girl with such accuracy and even brings a sparkle and a real human soul to the characters she plays. The landscape is beautiful and the special effects are also great. The dance scene is very lovely. This film was much better than Hero. Also it is hard to create emotional conections between actors, but that was no problem for this great cast. Takeshi Kaneshiro is a real break out in this movie. Great job!
Be sure to see the great supplemental features on the DVD version! June 27, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I highly recommend "House of the Flying Daggers." a movie filmed in vibrant colors, beautiful Tang dynasty costumes with a plot full of action, surprises and twists. Zhang Ziyi playing Mei shows again why she is, in my opinion, the most talented young actress in contemporary Asia. As well as being a very beautiful young woman, Zhang Ziyi, who studied dance, works very hard in preparting for her roles whether in "House of the Flying Daggers" or "Memoirs of a Geisha." I was epecially very impressed by Mei's fascinating and brilliantly filmed dance performance near the beginning of the movie.
Other reviewers have aptly summarized the basic plot of the movie, so I will not further discuss it. What is especially worthwhile about buying the DVD version are the excellent supplemental features. I greatly enjoyed Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi's informative and interesting commentary about the movie. One comes away with a much better understanding of the movie and how "House of the Flying Daggers" was made after listening to their commentary as the movie is played out.
I will give one relatively minor and entertaining example from their commentary. Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi comment about how some people in the western world seem to have a hard time telling Asian actors apart. They amusingly make the same comment about how they view some people from the western world. The device the director employs to help some westerners distinguish between Leo and Jin in the beginning of the movie is rather funny.
Emotion! June 27, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
For me, this movie was nearly a mirror image of *Hero* in that it contained some of what was lacking about getting to know characters deeply, but it sacrificed, in my opinion, some of the ambition to Beauty and Message.
That isn't to say that it doesn't have the same ability to transport the audience into a different place, because it certainly does! There are fabulous concepts and scenes, but I surely missed the color dynamic of Hero.
Still,
there are far too few movies of this sort. I can't give fewer than four stars.
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Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006
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