What Do The Critics Say?

"It's just about impossible to walk away disappointed from the thrills and beauties of Daggers." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "A feast for the eyes from beginning to end." Maitland McDonagh TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE "An absolute must-see." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "An intoxicating cocktail of splendid visuals, spectacular action, state of the art computer-generated imagery and some old-fashioned swashbuckling worthy of Hollywood's Golden Age." Eleanor Ringel Gillespie ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION "The most gorgeous movie of the year." Jami Bernard NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "Flying Daggers is a martial arts love triangle ... a tale of love, betrayal and tragedy, with beautiful photography and solid performances." Bob Bloom JOURNAL AND COURIER

"This is the most intoxicatingly beautiful martial arts picture I've ever seen." David Edelstein SLATE "A wild riot of color, music, passion, action, mystery, pure old-fashioned thrills and even dancing. A new classic of its genre." Phil Hall FILM THREAT "If you thought Hero was stunning to behold, House of Flying Daggers is even better." Timothy Knight REEL.COM "Gorgeous cinematography, incredible landscapes, stunning fight sequences, and the seemingly ubiquitous Zhang Ziyi looking hot as ever" Brian Mckay EFILMCRITIC.COM "This one is a feast for the eyeballs, a treat for the romantically-inclined, and a full-course feast for the action aficionados." Scott Weinberg EFILMCRITIC.COM

The Inside Story

"If you loved "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", then you’ll also enjoy the gorgeous House of Flying Daggers." Linda Cook KWQC-TV IOWA

"I don’t want to make an ordinary martial arts film. I want to talk about passion, interesting characters; my own style of Wuxia film. This is a story about passion and love; it may be a Wuxia film, but it is also an evocative and romantic love story," explains three-time Academy Award ® nominee and "House Of Flying Daggers Director Zhang Yimou. And it is! A stunning, gloriously colorful, magical, romantic tale that is just 'gorgeous'. As you'd expect from Zhang, the images are rampant with colour and carefully matched to the costume and color. From the very first moment the film opens the colour and vibrant images capture the senses and ones imagination. The handsome, amorous and intoxicated Captain Jin is surrounded by beauty and women. The intricacy, the detail of the sets and the work that went into what follows is to say the least, mindboggling and what follows when the blind Mei enters the room is dazzling. Like "Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon" and more recently, the glorious "Hero" this is a film about patience. Don't go in looking for a constant rush, rather take "House Of Flying Daggers as you would a Chinese Banquet where there are lots of culinary delights that smell good, taste good and look delicious and not meant to be gulped down. The assault on the senses with these colourful, romantic tales is delivered at intervals. Zang Yimou understands that is no need for a constant bombardment of the senses and so, allows the audience breathing space, a moment or two to refresh and rewind as they say. Zang, who also directed "Hero" adds much more his latest film and it shows. "This time around, I am braver and more accustomed to the genre," he says. "You can say that this film is a tribute to kung fu movies." So what was it like working on "House Of Flying Daggers with China's most celebrated Director? Takeshi Kaneshiro says he "found himself in awe of the three-time Academy Award® nominated director. I was worried that I would say the wrong thing or keep making mistakes, but Zhang was always very encouraging. He would explain what he wanted, and listening to him was like hearing someone tell a story. I was entranced, and came away knowing exactly what I needed to do." Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau says "it was the director's story-driven approach that proved a surprise and delight. When I accepted the part, I thought there would be many fight scenes, but then I realized Yimou wanted an in-depth portrayal of the character and his personality traits. Zhang Yimou will put the camera on you and leave it there. And if you're good, you're good. And if you're not, well." Lau need not have worried for Zang is full of praise for his star actor. "He's a great actor," says Zhang. "He can cry on cue five takes in a row, which isn't easy. And he's improving all the time." The linch pin of the story is Mei, a blind dancer played by the beautiful actress Zhang Ziyi. Zhang is an accomplished dancer in her own right having studied folk and traditional Chinese dance since the age of eleven, after being sent to the Beijing Dance Academy. She then spent three years at the prestigious China Central Drama. Playing a blind person creates great challenges for sighted people so Zhang lived with a young blind girl for two months. "When this girl was twelve, a brain tumor caused her to lose her sight," Zhang said. "At the beginning, I had no idea that a blind person's world is so completely different." Romance, colour, remarkable characters, intrigue, deception, spectacular fight scenes, wonderful costuming and exceptional scenery all combine to make this Zhang Yimou film, "House Of Fling Daggers" a gorgeous feast for the eyes. The bonus for audiences is the love story revealed late in the film. Meet The Director Zhang Yimou was born in China in 1950 and studied cinematography at the Beijing Film Academy. He became a leading member of China's Fifth Generation Filmmakers, the first group to graduate following the turbulent Cultural Revolution. He is an accomplished actor, starring in "Red Sorghum" as well as earning the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for his performance in "Old Well" (1986). Zhang Yimou is also a skilled cinematographer, with credits including "Yellow Earth" (1984), "Old Well" (1986), and "The Big Parade" (1986). Zhang Yimou has received multiple honors as a director. He is the first Chinese filmmaker to receive Motion Picture Academy recognition, being nominated for Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category for "Ju Dou" in 1990, "Raise the Red Lantern" in 1991, and "HERO" in 2003. He has earned numerous top honors, including the Silver Lion at the 44th Venice International Film Festival for "Raise the Red Lantern" (1991), the Golden Lion Award at the 45th Venice International Film Festival for "The Story of Qiu Ju" (1992), the Grand Jury Prize at the 47th Cannes International Film Festival for "To Live" (1994), the Golden Lion Award at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival for "Not One Less" (1999), the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for "The Road Home" (1999) and the Alfred Bauer Award for "HERO" (2003). "HERO" went on to sweep the board at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards, winning awards for Best Action Choreography, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Music, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. Crew Bytes "HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS" was .......
directed by Zhang Yimou ["Shanghai Triad", "Lumiere and Company", "The Road Home" and "HERO"]; screenplay by Zhang Yimou; Feng Li ["HERO"] and Bin Wang ["Mr. Zhao", "Breaking the Silence", "Dreamland" and "HERO"]; costume design by Academy Award ® winner Emi Wada ["The Bride with White Hair", "The Pillow Book", "8 1/2 Women" and "HERO"]; production design by Huo Tingxiao ["Farewell My Concubine", "The Emperor and the Assassin", "Song of Tibet" and "HERO"]; edited by Cheng Long ["Bontoc Eulogy" and "US Custom Classified"]; director of photograhpy Zhao Xiaoding ["The Substitute Husband", "The Wolf and the Angel", "Subway to Spring" and "HERO"]; original music composed by Shigeru Umebayashi ["Hong Kong Paradise", "In The Mood for Love", "Midnight Fly" and "Zhou Yu's Train"] produced by Zhang Yimou and Bill Kong ["Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Springtime in a Small Town", "Zhou Yu's Train" and "HERO"]. Casting About "HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS" stars .......
Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award winner Takeshi Kaneshiro ["Heart Breaking Night", "Chungking Express", "Fallen Angels" and "Turn Left, Turn Right"]; Golden Dragon Award winner Andy Lau ["Love on a Diet ", "Infernal Affairs", "Running On Karma" and "Infernal Affairs 3"]; 2000 Toronto Film Critics Association & 2001 Independent Spirit Awards winner Zhang Ziyi ["The Road Home", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Rush Hour 2" and "HERO"] and Sky High Best Actress Award winner Dandan Song ["Crescent Moon", "The Red Suit", "Family Ties" and "An Empty House"] as Yee. What It's All About

"The most unbelievable element in Zhang’s film is surprisingly enough the love story." ....... Stina Chyn FILM THREAT

It is 859AD, and the Tang Dynasty, one of the most enlightened empires in Chinese history at its height, is in decline. Led by an Emperor who is incompetent and a government that is corrupt. Unrest is spreading throughout the land, and many rebel armies are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious, is an underground alliance known as the "House of Flying Daggers". The House of Flying Daggers operates mysteriously, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Captain Leo suspects that Mei, the beautiful new blind dancer at the local Peony Pavilion, is the daughter of the old leader. He hatches a plan to arrest her and bring her in for questioning. When Mei refuses to divulge any information, the two captains set up another plan. This time, Captain Jin will pretend to be a lone warrior called Wind and rescue Mei from prison, earning her trust and escorting her to the secret headquarters of the House of Flying Daggers. It is a daring plan that relies on secrecy at the highest level if it has any chance of success. The Verdict "Simply put, "House Of Flying Daggers" is the most sumptuous, gorgeous film to grace the screen since "Hero". While the spectacular scenery and the fights are a sheer delight to watch, like "Hero", this too is a beautiful love story and it will tear your heart to shreds. Indulgence on a level that has to be seen to be appreciated. Magnificent and beautiful." The Cast

Takeshi Kaneshiro Andy Lau Zhang Ziyi Dandan Song

... ... ... ...

Jin Leo Mei Yee

Run Time 118 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Sony Pictures Entertainment - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved