House of Flying Daggers

[Big D]

Zhang Yimou's recent movie, now available on DVD. It's only just come out in my country, so some stores are offering the DVD at a low introductory price. This is good, since full price is a pain when you're a poor student.

However, I don't just buy any movie because I *think* it's going to be good. I only get DVDs that I know are going to be worth owning and keeping.

So, some viewpoints would be appreciated. How good is this film? Is it a must-buy for someone who enjoys both deep plots and beautiful directing?

Judging from critical reviews and the few snippets I've seen, as well as the obvious comparisons with Hero, I'm reasonably certain this is a movie I'd enjoy, at the very least. But I'm not one to commit to a purchase on this basis alone, even with regard to a movie starring Zhang Ziyi.

So please... regale me with your opinions, be they good or bad.

[Burtsplurt]

It's very good. There seems to be more attention paid to how it looks than the plot, but that doesn't matter as it looks gorgeous. The ending also drags a bit, but those are the only two (minor niggles). It kind of reminds of a mandarin Romeo and Juliet , but with martial arts - although I wouldn't say that the martial arts are the focus of the film.

Saying that, I am somewhat of a Ziyi fan, so maybe I'm biased. 2046 is another recent film of her's, and I think it's better than HoFD, although they are from quite different genres.

[SomethingBig]

It doesn't center on the fighting, really, but rather the love story. For a martial arts movie, it's fairly deep with many twists and turns. The movie manages to even out story-telling and fighting quite perfectly. I didn't feel that it slowed down at all and picked up to a great climax at the end. All of the fights are beautiful, in terms of the actual fight and the scenery. It's definitely worth a watch, if you're a fan of Hero.

[Cz]

I don't really have anything to add to what's already been said, but I'd agree that HoFD is well worth getting. It mixes spectacular action sequences with a plot that is quite strong for a film of this type, and does a good job too. So yeah, I'd recommend it too.

[crashNUMBERS]

T'is movie looks awsome!! But I haven't seen it yet. Im looking forward to it though. me and my brother both wanna see it...

[Big D]

Thanks for the info, y'all. Those kinds of details - like how the film balances plot and artistic considerations - are what's often lacking in mainstream reviews.

Just one question about the martial arts side of things... is it "realistic" martial arts, or does it depend on physically impossible wire stunts?

What I mean by 'realistic' would be, for example, Nameless' fights with Sky and Flying Snow in Hero. What I consider 'unrealistic' is absurd stuff like fighters skipping across the surface of a pond, which is just dumb, and fighters who accelerate after jumping. This tends to kill the effect, for me. This kind of thing spoiled the action in CTHD and in Hero's imaginary fight between Broken Sword and Nameless.

[SomethingBig]

Thankfully not. Of course, there's wireworks are used, but not to the extent of Hero. However, when the House of Flying Daggers uses their daggers, it's pretty... well, unbelievable's an understatement. That can easily be overlooked, fortunately, mainly because the final battle is intense and 100% worth watching.

[RSL]

I loved it. It was great. I would buy it if I were you.

[Big D]

If you were me, you'd buy it?

Well, I just DID buy it, so I guess this proves that you ARE me, after all.

omg

RSL = Big D

[GooeyToast]

I need to watch it.

From what I've heard though, it is an awesome movie. In fact, it had even better reviews than Hero, which got very good reviews to begin with. So I think buying it would be smart.


~Keep it gooey~

[Dreddz]

Not all that
Prefered Kung Fu Hustle

[nik0tine]

I saw it a while ago and I enjoyed it. I say go for it. It's a pretty good movie if you ask me.

[Big D]

Watched it last night. Impressive stuff.
Visually amazing, well-acted and with an unconventional, involved plot.

No flying, which was also a plus.

[RSL]

I knew you'd like it.

[Maxico]

It was actualy a little disspointed by it. I guess I was expecting another Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (one of my favourite movies of all time) but it just seemed a little too detached.