Review of House of Flying Daggers (2004) by Chris W — 17 May 2011

These modern Wuxia films of the last few yeas have really been something. They're a great mix of art, gorgeous visuals, great choreography, really good story telling, and some unbelievable costumes, art direction, and set design. They're also dripping with craft and tap into cultural history and folklore, so that's cool too.

Since Yimou Zhang directed both this and Hero, it's okay to get them confused. Both are really good, and, even though msot thought Hero was a masterpiece, I didn't quite think that way. It was really good, but not great. With this film though, I think I liked it just a tad bit more, so I'll give it a very high B+ that almost could be an A-.

I'm doing this because I found the story stronger and easier to follow, and, even though I really dig artsiness, whimsy, and think that wire work is cool, I like all thsoe things better when they're toned down, as they are here. All of that stuff can only work for you so much if you're story isn't as strong. With this film, the story is really good, and it reminded me a lot of stuff liek The Departed. It's more of a romance than a straight action epic, but whe ndone well, I'm okay with that. I cared about these characters, and dig the themes of love, honor, loyalty, and betrayal.

Besides being a well crafted visual delight, the camera work is awesome, the music is absolutely beautiful, and everything is executed quite well thanks to the strong direction. What makes it all worth it though are the performances. Part of why I cared about the characters is because the actors do a great job. The writing isn't pitch perfect, but the actors take it and make it really sing.

I don't really have much else to say. This is a really wonderful cinematic gem that definitely merits watching. The better tv and sound system you have, the more striking this film is, so keep that in mind.