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| HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. ( SHI MIAN MAI FU) Starring - Takeshi Kaneshiro - Andy lau - Zang ZiYi. Director - Zhang Yimou. 2004. New Years Eve and I am writing a review? I should be getting ready for the festivities ahead but no I’m sat at my desk for one reason alone. House of Flying Daggers. Not since Bichunmoo have I seen a movie so powerful I have felt compelled to review it immediately. I have seen thousands of movies and very few have had the impact that this did on me, and I don’t say that lightly. Zhang Yimou has produced and directed a masterpiece that will long stay in the heart of many who see it. The House of Flying Daggers is a faction hell bent on bringing down the corrupt government at any cost. The government obviously are keen on destroying this faction before any damage is sustained and the task is given to two local deputies, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro). The only lead seems to be Mei (Zhang ZiYi) a beautiful young showgirl at the new brothel who is apparently blind. As Jin has never visited this brothel and is unknown to the employees a plot is conceived between the pair to entrap Mei into disclosing the location of the rebel faction. Well that’s your lot, if I go too far I will end up giving the whole thing away which I don’t want to do. Let’s just say that you won’t be disappointed. The plot has more twists than the Monaco GP and the director takes every opportunity to throw you a curve ball to make things worse. Admittedly you do see a couple coming but for the most part the film carries you flawlessly from one scene to another you don’t really think about the possibilities. Keeping the main cast down to a minimum is always a good thing. You aren’t diverted by sub characters and non-descripts. Your attentions and feelings are focussed entirely on these three. The film is about them, about their own trials about their feelings and their own political beliefs. But most importantly HOFD is about how YOU feel towards these characters. And I dare you not to feel for the entire trio. Because the plot is so strong it is important to get the scoring right and for me this is the vital ingredient in HOFD that makes it the film it is. AWESOME! Shigeru Umebayashi has created a score that pushes and pulls your emotions in tune with the gripping storyline. I found myself turning the sound up and up as the film progressed. Now I have a decent sound setup but this movie really deserves to be seen on the big screen with the finest surround system pumped up to max. As I said earlier not since Bichunmoo can I really remember a movie that has combined all the elements to produce something that looks and feels so perfect? Being a massive fan of Wire-Fu it is hard not to love the fight scenes. The choreography is ball blisteringly quick and needs a re-watch to take it all in. But what adds so much to the fight scenes is the actual locations, each one is stunning and obviously great time was spent in choosing these and setting the camera up just right to make the most out of them. What helps even more is the fact that the 3 leads are all proficient in martial arts (unlike Chow Yun Fat in CTHDragon) making the scenes feel even more believable. I have to stop here, I could go on all night about what makes this film so good but I’m going out soon and my pants are becoming moist just thinking about Zhang ZiYi. I really fancy watching it again now but I know Michelle will have the right hump if I do. Ultimately HOFD is a Kung-Fu flik with Balls. The balls to try a little more than is the norm. Crouching Tiger tried it before but failed, the ingredients didn’t quite mesh together. The choreography etc was all individually good but for some reason it just didn’t work. I hope the people who raved about Crouching Tiger get the opportunity to see this movie and then get to reconsider their stance. This is what HK does best, no compromises, no explanations just pure entertainment. BTW yes I did cry ;) 10**********stars. |
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