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 hang Yimou, coming off "Hero",
his most internationally acclaimed and successful film to date, now brings
us another martial arts epic set in ancient China. "House of Flying
Daggers" stars Andy Lau ("Infernal
Affairs") and Takeshi Kaneshiro ("Returner")
as Leo and Jin, respectively, two Imperial underlings ordered to bring
down a rebel group called the House of Flying Daggers. The empire is on
the verge of collapse, and the Daggers are helping to move things along.
Not surprisingly, the Powers That Be are a tad ticked.
With just 10 days to get the job done, Leo and Jin
target Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a blind dancing girl working at a brothel. The
two men believe Mei not only has intimate knowledge of the House of Flying
Daggers, but also knows its current whereabouts. They hatch a plan to
arrest her, and then have Jin pose as a rebel to rescue Mei from prison.
Fleeing into the mountains, the duo is pursued by Imperial goons to
further the charade. Alas, complications ensue -- Jin and Mei falls in
love, leaving Leo and a Third Act plot twist blowing in the wind.
The one thing most people will notice immediately
about "Flying Daggers" is the excessive amount of CGI on
display. If Yimou showed that he wasn't averse to computer-animated arrows
in "Hero", then he proves once and for all that he's embracing
the future with "Daggers". Almost every single sword, dagger,
arrow, spear, and bamboo (yes, I said bamboo) that flies around in the
film was rendered via CGI. This allows Yimou and company to make inanimate
objects do some spectacular things, such as an arrow ricocheting off a
fallen shield to find its target, daggers that slice their way through a
forest of bamboos as if they had minds of their own, and hundreds of
bamboo spears chasing their victims as if they had eyes. Later, we even
get CGI snow just for the hell of it.
Although the movie's romantic angle is worth
mentioning (and if you asked Yimou, he'd probably tell you it's the only
thing worth mentioning), it won't be the movie's main selling point by a
long shot. The elaborate action in "House of Flying Daggers"
will dominate its ads should the film ever find its way to the States. And
why not? Yimou has painstakingly choreographed every action scene to
within an inch of its life. The movie is full of fights, from a clever
rumble in a brothel to a series of running battles in the open countryside
as Jin and Mei are pursued by dogged Imperial assassins.
The film also offers up a Third Act plot twist that,
in many ways, renders the preceding 2 acts moot. Without spoiling too
much, the twist does seem to make logical sense, as it would further the
cause of the rebel groups trying to overthrow the current ruling Tang
dynasty. But the truth is, the script needn't be so ambitious, since by
the hour mark little really matters except for the sudden emergence of a
love triangle that seems to have no way out for any of its three
participants.
The cast of "Flying Daggers" is one of its
main attractions, with all three principals played by three of Asia's top
names. Zhang Ziyi, the "It" girl who has done more period Chinese/Asian
epics than anyone else in the span of a few short years (including "Musa",
"Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon", and "Hero" to name just a few), does a stellar
job as the blind girl. (And if you ever wondered why men everywhere fawn over the
young lady, her dance number at the beginning of the film should dispel
all confusion.) The young Ziyi is such an old hand with this type of role
that it's hard to fault anything she does in the film, especially since
she does them so well and with such great conviction.
Also, the fact that Ziyi and Kaneshiro are both
insanely attractively people makes it easier to accept their characters
suddenly and without real merit falling all over each other in the space
of a few days. A few weeks, or months, might have been understandable, but
a few days really does not seem anywhere long enough for Mei and Jin to
develop the type of undying love that they showcase later in the film.
Also, since Andy Lau is the oldest of the trio, I think you can guess who
gets all the lovin' in the film. (Hint: it ain't ol Andy. He's left out in
the snow. Literally.)
If you've seen enough Chinese films, you won't be the
least bit surprised by "Daggers'" overly melodramatic Third Act.
The good news is that fans of martial arts films will get their fill of
action and spectacle, as well as some breathtaking cinematography.
Understandably, there's a reason why the Flying Daggers underground uses
the bamboo fortress as their port of call -- it's gorgeous. Zhang
Yimou's choice to set much of the film outdoors was an excellent idea; the
Chinese country has never looked more beautiful and lyrical. With
"Hero" and now "Daggers", one gets the feeling Yimou
is not the kind of director who likes to be constrained.
When all is said and done, "House of Flying
Daggers" can best be described as a simple love story in the guise of
an epic. Whatever ambitious plots the film may have opened with, it soon
forgets them when the movie's secret affections, love affairs, and
betrayals are revealed. Keep that in mind, and the film's contemplative
Third Act won't be such a shock to the system.
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