THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
2004
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Anita Mui

Watson Scale (0 being worst and 6 being perfect): 5.5

Reviewed by Jeremy Silman

After Zhang Yimou’s triumphant HERO, I was left wondering how he could possibly improve on such a masterpiece. The answer was that he couldn’t, but with THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS he put forth yet another awe-inspiring effort.

A love story, THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS isn’t as intellectually interesting as HERO, but its story keeps you tuned in, and its cinematography leaves you wide-eyed in wonder. In fact, every scene appears to be an etched moment in time – an artist’s rendition of life put into magical motion. Somehow, in ways I can’t comprehend, he makes running water, mud, wind in the trees, or a shot of a simple patch of earth, all shimmer with ethereal luminosity.

I could go on and on about this wonderful film, but my message is clear: Do everything you can to see it!

For a more energetic and concise vision of House’s attributes, here’s a paragraph Vance Aandahl sent me in a private letter – now shamelessly stolen and posted here for all to see:

“Here’s how I would describe Zhang Yimou’s second venture into the wire-work     martial-arts subgenre: it’s HERO all over again – ravishing cinematography, intoxicatingly perfect music, beautifully orchestrated fight scenes, clever plot twists, many moments of great dramatic urgency, and a heightened, larger-than-life, mythical scale – all this with a steamy but tragically doomed Romeo/Juliet love story and oodles of Hollywood clichés thrown in for good measure.”