Movies - House of Flying Daggers

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	Movies - House of Flying Daggers

House of Flying Daggers (), is a 2004 action/romance movie directed by Zhang Yimou. The Chinese title derives from a Chinese four-character idiom literally meaning "ambush from ten sides", but figuratively meaning an "ambush from all sides". It is also the name of a very famous traditional Chinese music piece for the pipa that describes the battle between the Qin Dynasty general Xiang Yu and the Han forces prior to the formation of the Han Dynasty (a very short version of the music played on the guitar is in the soundtrack). The English title, House of Flying Daggers, refers to a secret society (飛刀門) within the movie. The movie is in the wuxia genre, similar in style to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
, Hero, and Warriors of Heaven and Earth
.

Like other wuxia movies, the fight scenes are the most important aspect of the film, coupled with the cinematography. House of Flying Daggers differs however, in that it is more of a love story than a typical martial arts film.

Use of strong colors again is a signature of Zhang in this movie. Several scenes in a bamboo forest completely fill the screen with green while the actors are also dressed in green. Near the end of the movie, a fight scene is set in a blizzard. The actors and blood are greatly highlighted on a whiteout background. There is another scene where bright yellow is used as the strong color theme. The costumes, props, and decorations were taken almost entirely from Chinese paintings of the period, adding authenticity to the look of the film.

The movie opened in limited release within the United States on December 3, 2004, in New York and Los Angeles, and opened on additional screens throughout the country two weeks later.

Despite receiving great acclaim from film critics in the U.S., the film and its director were fairly heavily criticized locally in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Many Chinese critics felt that the film lacked a strong storyline or message, that the dialogue was poor, and that Zhang was simply trying to appeal to Western audiences with heavily choreographed fight scenes and extensive use of computer-generated imagery. Zhang's previous films, including the critically acclaimed Raise the Red Lantern
and The Story of Qiu Ju
, were insightful and tragic dramas about the lives of everyday peasants in modern rural China, and even his previous foray into a martial arts film, Hero, had a strong underlying message about sacrifice and national identity.

Plot

The film is set in 859 AD, and the Tang Dynasty is in decline. Numerous rebel groups have formed, the largest of which is the House of Flying Daggers, which is based in the Feng Tian county. The rebels have the support of the locals, as they steal from the rich and give to the poor.

The local deputies, rivals of the House of Flying Daggers, have managed to kill the leader of the rebel group, but they only succeed in making it stronger, due to a mysterious new leader. Two captains, Jin and Leo, are ordered to kill the new leader within ten days.

In order to accomplish this, the two men arrest Mei (小妹: pinyin: Xiǎo Mèi), a blind dancer who works at a brothel and is suspected to be the daughter of the old leader. Mei refuses to reveal anything, so the two captains try another approach. Jin pretends to be a lone warrior called Wind, and rescues Mei from prison, gaining her trust and then escorting her to the Flying Daggers headquarters. The new plan works, but Mei warms to Jin, and vice versa.

We eventually find out that Leo is working for the House of Flying Daggers as an undercover agent to destroy the government forces from within and impress Mei. Leo is incredibly upset that his years of working undercover have not succeeded in winning Mei's heart; rather, Jin's three days with Mei have proven far more fruitful. The emotions of the three spill over into battle.

Cast

Takeshi Kaneshiro
— Captain Jin (金捕頭)
Andy Lau
— Captain Leo (劉捕頭)
Zhang Ziyi
— Mei (小妹)
Dandan Song — Yee

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for House of Flying Daggers ]

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Movies - House of Flying Daggers

Plot

Cast

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