Great Film: House Of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)
Following on from HERO with another visually arresting feature...
After absolutely loving 'Hero', I couldn't wait for Zhang Yimou's
latest Wuxia Pien feature to arrive on DVD. After watching it, I'm
happy to say I wasn't disappointed, as it is another sumptuous,
stylistic feature, which deserves all the accolades it is likely to
receive.
The plot of the film is told in a more linear narrative when compared
to that of 'Hero', but that is not to say it is any more
straightforward. Set in the Tang Dynasty, the basic premise is nothing
to write home about, featuring government officials on the trail of an
underground rebel alliance 'The House of Flying Daggers'. However,
there is enough characterisation and depth to hold your attention,
while the (sometimes predictable) plot twists keep you guessing.
Unfortunately, there is nothing entirely new about this story and it's
probably familiar ground to fans of the wuxia genre. Nevertheless, it
flows at a decent pace and is punctuated with enough stylistic action
sequences that the 2-hour running time is quickly exhausted.
As with Yimou's impressive previous feature, Tony Ching Siu-tung takes
over the action direction, producing another sterling performance. In
my opinion, he is currently the top fight choreographer around after
spending so many years being considered second fiddle to the likes of
Yuen Wo-ping and Sammo Hung; he now deserves to be considered above
them on his current output. In this instance, much of the overt
stylisation evident in Hero is played down in favour of more grounded,
natural martial artistry. There is still plenty of wire work and a
spattering of CGI to aid the sequences, however, it is plain to see
that much of the action displayed is a mix of genuine swordplay and
actual technique. All the performers acquit themselves well considering
none of them are formally trained in martial arts – especially Zhang
Ziyi who performs impressively from start to finish.
As you would expect from a Zhang Yimou film, the visuals are majestic,
with primary colours and panoramic landscapes making up much of what we
see. Unfortunately, many people do not seem to take to this artistic
approach, and will label the film another case of style over substance.
I would disagree, as I believe it contains plenty of both with a strong
cast, interesting characters and high quality action to provide the
foundation for the kind of bold, sumptuous visuals, which are rare to
find in modern film.
Overall, I personally prefer 'Hero' but know of plenty who would
disagree. As a result, I recommend it as a definite purchase to any fan
of films from this genre.
Cast
- Xiao Mei played by Ziyi Zhang
- Leo played by Andy Lau
- Jin played by Takeshi Kaneshiro
- Yee played by Dandan Song
- Performer played by Hongwei Zhao
