Set in 859AD in the declining Tang Dynasty, The House of Flying Daggers <<十面埋伏>>, critically acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s latest film, centres around three protagonists.
Unrest is rampant and rebel armies are forming throughout the land. One of them, “The House of Flying Daggers” has become very powerful and is proving to be a menace to the government forces.
Two constables, Jin and Leo, played respectively by the very delectable Takeshi Kaneshiro and the once-delectable Andy Lau, set out to uncover the identity of the mysterious leader of this powerful sect, in a bid to quell this group of rebels.
Jin and Leo find out that Mei, the blind but beautiful courtesan in Peony Pavilion, played by the current It-girl of Chinese cinema Zhang Ziyi, is a member of the sect. They believe her to be the blind daughter of the sect’s former leader and imprison her after she delivers a spectular dance performance coupled with some kungfu moves in the opening ten minutes of the film.
Seriously, Chinese dance never looked so good. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the film. Just lots of action, but wafer-thin in terms of plot and dialogue–much lacking in heart.
Jin, the deputy captain, is then sent on a mission by Leo to find out who the leader is by pretending to rescue Mei from prison and bringing her back to her people. Along the way, while battling government soldiers sent by some big-shot general, Jin and Mei, being the hot-blooded heterosexuals that they are, naturally fall in love. Like duh. Could there be any way around it???
BUT Mei also happens to be the love of Leo’s life. How so? That I’ll leave it to you to find out. So a love triangle ensues, and as with all martial art flicks, this often ends tragically.
Kaneshiro delivers an acceptable but somewhat forgettable performance as a glib-tongue and skirt-chasing male who becomes a reformed rake in the end. Lau doesn’t quite cut it as a betrayed lover, while Zhang seems to be stuck in the same role she has played in all her previous big production martial art flicks.
Frankly, I’m sick of seeing her in all these Chinese martial art films. She doesn’t seem to be able to get out of the role she played in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙) . Yeah, she was great in that, but seeing her do it again in Hero (英雄) and now The House of Flying Daggers, is just a plain bore.
Of course, Takeshi Kaneshiro was the highlight for me and my movie companion. Granted, his performance wasn’t exactly the best one, he nonetheless made for fine eye-candy. I mean, that guy’s a dish!
The film’s cinematography is one of its saving grace. Though extremely reminiscent of Hero, it is nonetheless a joy to see the lush greenery, bamboo forests, the various shades of red, orange and yellow of the autumn leaves, and the winter landscape in the closing minutes of the film. Goodness, now I’ve made it sound like some NatGeo documentary. But that’s an idea–NatGeo could try for the distribution rights.
Another redeeming factor was its lavish costumes and sets, showcased largely in the beginning part of the film in the Peony Pavilion. It was a fine display of Chinese culture and heritage with the elaborate and intricate costumes, the musical instruments and the architectural details of the set.
The action sequences and fight scenes were exciting enough for a martial arts flick. Flying daggers, bamboo spikes spiralling through the air, high kicks, dazzling swordplay and blood splatter all made to look really poetic and lyrical using bullet-motion photography (