Great Blu Ray visuals, but that's about it
Added 2/17/2010
I bought this movie after reading all of the positive reviews here and usually Amazon reviewers are accurate, but not this time. This is one of the few movies that I will be trading in. In addition, I enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and this movie is nothing like it. Interestingly, I reread some of the 5-star reviews below and it is amazing how many say something like, "This is a movie where you do not really care about plot beyond its ability to move us from one beautiful set piece to the next." Really...a movie without a plot deserves 5-stars? Wow, I was worried that my standards were too low! Yes, the visuals are great but there are many other serious problems that cannot be ignored...
First, maybe if I understood the native language, I may feel differently but this movie contained some of the worst dialog that I have ever heard uttered in any film, and I like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It made me cringe on numerous occasions. Second, the plot was complete nonsense. Sure, I get the whole individualism aspect but most of the story elements either didn't make sense in the end or were left unresolved. It appears that most scenes were contrived for the sole purpose of justifying a particular special effect. Third, the acting was shameful. The female lead Mei is tolerable but both male leads are awful. Again, this may be partly due to the dubbed English but that is no excuse, someone should have done a better job translating because the end result is unacceptable. Even worse, at no time did I care about any of the characters.
Finally, I had hoped for the typical Blu Ray extras where the director explains his or her motivations because maybe I missed something and believe me, this plot needs an explanation. That also is not present. If all you care about is visuals and an attractive cast, then I'm sure that you will enjoy this movie. For the rest of us, five stars for the visuals and zero for the plot, dialogue and acting, a two-star movie at best.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Flowers and fighters
Added 2/9/2010
'House of Flying Daggers' combines two classic storylines: the wanderings of hero-outlaws, and love among enemies. The former is meant to showcase feats of strength and agility, the latter emotional nuance. Unfortunately, neither element of 'Daggers' is successful. Unlike such popular Wuxia films as 'Hero' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' 'Daggers' does not count any trained martial artists among its lead actors. To make up for this deficiency, the film employs many quick cuts and digital animations in its fight sequences. As a result, these scenes feel manufactured and fail to convince anyone who hasn't been raised on CGI-packed blockbusters. I thought the film might redeem itself with its climactic sword fight: a form of combat that need not rest on digital crutches. Alas, the filmmakers blunder to the last by throwing in a thoroughly computer-generated snowstorm.
Flaws on the martial-arts side of things could be forgiven if 'Daggers' offered a compelling love story as compensation. However, the romantic dialogue is full of cliches, and though Takeshi Kaneshiro (as Jin, a heartthrob double-agent) has some very fine moments, he lapses into cartoonish behavior in key scenes, such as his introduction to the beautiful Mei (Zhang Ziyi). Miss Zhang and Andy Lau (as Leo, Jin's partner) are superb, but none of the performances stands up to repeat viewings. Certain scenes at the Peony Pavilion, such as Leo's conversation with the madam or his fight with Mei by the reflection pool, make little sense in light of later revelations about the characters. In all, this is an entertaining film, but a weak one in comparison to other recent films in its genre.
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Weak story, visually powerful
Added 1/4/2010
I watched this film because I found the director's Raise the Red Lantern to be a masterpiece. House of Flying Daggers shares many of the attributes of that film: opulent costumes and sets, and lavish use of color. Unlike Raise the Red Lantern, Flying Daggers falls into the Chinese martial arts genre and as a genre film it follows a more predictable pattern.
Set in the late Tang dynasty (9th century), the story is a love triangle played out against the backdrop of strife between the crumbling, corrupt government and rebellious clans that have arisen to fill the power vacuum. The most powerful of these, the House of Flying Daggers, has recently lost its leader, and a new leader has arisen.
Two police captains, Jin and Leo, are given ten days to kill the new leader. They devise a suberfuge designed to trick Mei, a blind dancer suspected of being the old leader's daughter, into leading them to the Flying Daggers. Along the way Jin falls in love with Mei, while Leo is revealed to be an undercover member of the Flying Daggers. Leo has also been in love with Mei (who in reality is not blind and is also a member of the Flying Daggers) for three years. The bloody resolution of this convoluted triangle is an ending worthy of Verdi.
Given a rather thin and formulaic storyline, House of Flying Daggers leans heavily on martial arts action for its appeal. There is plenty of this: swordplay, combatants turning somersaults while soaring through the air, outlandish feats of archery, and swords and daggers thrown for impossible distances with deadly accuracy.
For fans of Chinese martial arts cinema, this is undoubtedly a winner. I found the film visually ravishing, but prefer the more complex emotional terrain of Raise the Red Lantern. In any case, I will definitely sample more of Zhang Yimou's work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A Work of Art
Added 12/29/2009
What director Zhang Yimou has created with House of Flying Daggers is more than just a movie. It really is a work of art. The stories in the film are full of emotion which Zhang Yimou makes even more incredible with the usage of colors and special effects in the film. That is not an easy task and he should be commended for it. All the details in the storyline, the acting, direction and environment in this movie make it a work of art. The beauty is so intoxicating.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Blu ray quality
Added 12/19/2009
I was very disappointed in the bluray transfer. With all the colors in this movie I thought it would shine like "what dreams may come" did but it didnt. If you have the standard version then dont bother "upgrading" to the bluray version.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Great Blu Ray visuals, but that's about it
Added 2/17/2010
I bought this movie after reading all of the positive reviews here and usually Amazon reviewers are accurate, but not this time. This is one of the few movies that I will be trading in. In addition, I enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and this movie is nothing like it. Interestingly, I reread some of the 5-star reviews below and it is amazing how many say something like, "This is a movie where you do not really care about plot beyond its ability to move us from one beautiful set piece to the next." Really...a movie without a plot deserves 5-stars? Wow, I was worried that my standards were too low! Yes, the visuals are great but there are many other serious problems that cannot be ignored...
First, maybe if I understood the native language, I may feel differently but this movie contained some of the worst dialog that I have ever heard uttered in any film, and I like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It made me cringe on numerous occasions. Second, the plot was complete nonsense. Sure, I get the whole individualism aspect but most of the story elements either didn't make sense in the end or were left unresolved. It appears that most scenes were contrived for the sole purpose of justifying a particular special effect. Third, the acting was shameful. The female lead Mei is tolerable but both male leads are awful. Again, this may be partly due to the dubbed English but that is no excuse, someone should have done a better job translating because the end result is unacceptable. Even worse, at no time did I care about any of the characters.
Finally, I had hoped for the typical Blu Ray extras where the director explains his or her motivations because maybe I missed something and believe me, this plot needs an explanation. That also is not present. If all you care about is visuals and an attractive cast, then I'm sure that you will enjoy this movie. For the rest of us, five stars for the visuals and zero for the plot, dialogue and acting, a two-star movie at best.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Flowers and fighters
Added 2/9/2010
'House of Flying Daggers' combines two classic storylines: the wanderings of hero-outlaws, and love among enemies. The former is meant to showcase feats of strength and agility, the latter emotional nuance. Unfortunately, neither element of 'Daggers' is successful. Unlike such popular Wuxia films as 'Hero' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' 'Daggers' does not count any trained martial artists among its lead actors. To make up for this deficiency, the film employs many quick cuts and digital animations in its fight sequences. As a result, these scenes feel manufactured and fail to convince anyone who hasn't been raised on CGI-packed blockbusters. I thought the film might redeem itself with its climactic sword fight: a form of combat that need not rest on digital crutches. Alas, the filmmakers blunder to the last by throwing in a thoroughly computer-generated snowstorm.
Flaws on the martial-arts side of things could be forgiven if 'Daggers' offered a compelling love story as compensation. However, the romantic dialogue is full of cliches, and though Takeshi Kaneshiro (as Jin, a heartthrob double-agent) has some very fine moments, he lapses into cartoonish behavior in key scenes, such as his introduction to the beautiful Mei (Zhang Ziyi). Miss Zhang and Andy Lau (as Leo, Jin's partner) are superb, but none of the performances stands up to repeat viewings. Certain scenes at the Peony Pavilion, such as Leo's conversation with the madam or his fight with Mei by the reflection pool, make little sense in light of later revelations about the characters. In all, this is an entertaining film, but a weak one in comparison to other recent films in its genre.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Weak story, visually powerful
Added 1/4/2010
I watched this film because I found the director's Raise the Red Lantern to be a masterpiece. House of Flying Daggers shares many of the attributes of that film: opulent costumes and sets, and lavish use of color. Unlike Raise the Red Lantern, Flying Daggers falls into the Chinese martial arts genre and as a genre film it follows a more predictable pattern.
Set in the late Tang dynasty (9th century), the story is a love triangle played out against the backdrop of strife between the crumbling, corrupt government and rebellious clans that have arisen to fill the power vacuum. The most powerful of these, the House of Flying Daggers, has recently lost its leader, and a new leader has arisen.
Two police captains, Jin and Leo, are given ten days to kill the new leader. They devise a suberfuge designed to trick Mei, a blind dancer suspected of being the old leader's daughter, into leading them to the Flying Daggers. Along the way Jin falls in love with Mei, while Leo is revealed to be an undercover member of the Flying Daggers. Leo has also been in love with Mei (who in reality is not blind and is also a member of the Flying Daggers) for three years. The bloody resolution of this convoluted triangle is an ending worthy of Verdi.
Given a rather thin and formulaic storyline, House of Flying Daggers leans heavily on martial arts action for its appeal. There is plenty of this: swordplay, combatants turning somersaults while soaring through the air, outlandish feats of archery, and swords and daggers thrown for impossible distances with deadly accuracy.
For fans of Chinese martial arts cinema, this is undoubtedly a winner. I found the film visually ravishing, but prefer the more complex emotional terrain of Raise the Red Lantern. In any case, I will definitely sample more of Zhang Yimou's work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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