Post by partyanimalken on Jan 20, 2005 9:41:06 GMT -5
Saw "House of Flying Daggers" yesterday. What a gorgeous film! Like "Crouching Tiger" and "Hero," "…Daggers," was a sensual delight. I can't recall seeing a more vivid use of color in a film. The costumes, lighting and photography were prima! Plus, the special effects, fighting sequences and wirework make the film worth the cost of admission.
“…Daggers,” was skillfully directed by Yimou Zhang whose other work includes “Hero,” “The Road Home,” “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Red Sorghum.” “…Daggers” is sort of a Chinese take on “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s the story of two unlikely lovers: Mei (Ziyi Zhang), a blind assassin vent on avenging the death of her father; and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a police chief whose mission is to lure Mei into his confidence so he can bring down her assassin’s guild, the dreaded House of Flying Daggers. After Mei is arrested and sprung from jail by the chief, the two head north to reunite with the Daggers. But once on the run, the chief realizes that his superiors will stop at nothing to complete the mission, even if it means his death. In between, the two ride horses, fight soldiers and fall in love. Unfortunately, once the two consummate their love, the film unravels.
Like a lot of Asian films I’ve seen, this one lost me on the narrative. The ending is peculiar – maybe it's an allegory for the struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists for China? Maybe it's China and Japan fighting over Korea during WWII? Despite some Marxist themes, “…Daggers,” is a wonderful film. So if you’re interested in video games, comic books, Kung-fu movies, design, directing, photography, costumes, etc., I heartily recommend it.
“…Daggers,” was skillfully directed by Yimou Zhang whose other work includes “Hero,” “The Road Home,” “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Red Sorghum.” “…Daggers” is sort of a Chinese take on “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s the story of two unlikely lovers: Mei (Ziyi Zhang), a blind assassin vent on avenging the death of her father; and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a police chief whose mission is to lure Mei into his confidence so he can bring down her assassin’s guild, the dreaded House of Flying Daggers. After Mei is arrested and sprung from jail by the chief, the two head north to reunite with the Daggers. But once on the run, the chief realizes that his superiors will stop at nothing to complete the mission, even if it means his death. In between, the two ride horses, fight soldiers and fall in love. Unfortunately, once the two consummate their love, the film unravels.
Like a lot of Asian films I’ve seen, this one lost me on the narrative. The ending is peculiar – maybe it's an allegory for the struggle between the Nationalists and the Communists for China? Maybe it's China and Japan fighting over Korea during WWII? Despite some Marxist themes, “…Daggers,” is a wonderful film. So if you’re interested in video games, comic books, Kung-fu movies, design, directing, photography, costumes, etc., I heartily recommend it.