House of Flying Daggers
Originally Written: January 2005
While watching Zhang Yimou’s “House of Flying Daggers”- and thinking back to his “Hero” from earlier this year in the process- I wondered if Mel Gibson might have been influenced by his poetic, flamboyant visual style when he was directing “The Passion of the Christ.” However, while I felt the style overwhelmed the story- which thematically, is interesting- in “Hero,” here I felt Yimou melded his visually enthralling stylings with his story- about a blind woman who’s an assassin for a group- the Flying Daggers- looking to overthrow the current ruling government in medieval China- with more grace, and was smart to tell the story straight-forward as opposed to opting for storytelling gimmicks like the time-fractured structure of “Hero,” which was appropriate, but kept emotions at arm’s length in my opinion. This time, Yimou- already one of my favorite visual directors on the strength of “Daggers” and “Hero” (I’m moving his other films- the ones available on DVD, at least- like “To Live” and “Shanghai Triad” to the front of my Netflix Queue)- embraces emotions, which drive the story of the young assassin (played with rapturous spirit by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s” Zhang Ziyi) who is used by two officers- spirited Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and professional Leo (Andy Lau)- to find the Flying Daggers’ location so the insurrection can be thwarted once and for all. But along the way, feelings of longing and love are revealed by Jin and Leo in surprising ways. Yimou turns the intimate story into thrilling spectacle with a poet’s eye for action, staging one staggering set piece after another with vibrant energy, verve, and ingenuity as Ziyi and Kaneshiro- who’s pretending to be a Flying Daggers supporter- make their way to safety after he helped her break free from prison. Among my favorite moments in the movie- and the year- involve a beautifully poetic fight in a lush bamboo forest (which is also a model of sound editing), and a face off of the three main characters on a picturesque hill that is first clear, only moments later to be covered in a haunting snowfall. Both are examples of the storytelling grace and visual splendor the best foreign filmmaking- of which we’ve seen much of in 2004- has to offer anyone who cares to seek it out. Seek out “House of Flying Daggers”- it’ll expand your horizons, and satisfy your thirst for unique cinema.
