'Not Your Average Love Story'
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS

RATING: B+

A Sony Pictures Classics Release

Starring Starring Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau and Song Dandan. Edited by Cheng Long, Costumes Designed by Emi Wada, Original Music by Shigeru Umebayashi, Production Designed by Huo Tingxiao, Action Director Tony Ching Siu-Tung, Director of Photography Zhao Xiaoding, Written by Zhang Yimou, Li Feng, Wang Bin, Produced by Bill Kong, Zhang Yimou, Directed by Zhang Yimou.

Rated PG-13, Running Time 119 mins., 2.40 to Anamorphic Scope Aspect Ratio.

Much like America’s Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, China's most celebrated director, was best known for his dramatic pieces until he was strung by the "wuxia" bug with “Hero”. The "wuxia" genre is not as celebrated in China as it is in the West, but with “Hero”, Yimou established that he could create an action film that was politically charged through his style of incisive storytelling and visual beauty. “Hero” was just a warm-up for his latest feature “House of Flying Daggers” which could be described as a love story wrapped inside of an action film. Set in 859 AD during the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the film is the story of two deputies who have been enlisted to capture the leader of a secret rebel army known as the House of Flying Daggers.

Captains Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are best friends who find themselves in love with the same woman when they investigate captivatingly beautiful dancer girl Zhang Ziyi. A member of the local brothel, Ziyi inadvertently reveals in an elaborate dance called the Echo Game, that not only is she an impressive warrior, but she happens to be blind. Taking her into custody, Al tells Kaneshiro to go undercover as a rogue warrior and help her escape so that she may lead him back to her clan, the House of Flying Daggers. As Kaneshiro initiates the plan he finds that not only is he quickly falling in love with this blind girl but that his fellow soldiers are pursuing them, unaware of his identity or mission. As their journey takes them deeper and deeper into the forest Ziyi and Kaneshiro grow closer and discover that she may be physically blind, but he is also blind to the lies and deception that encircle them.

Like “Hero”, “House of Flying Daggers” is an imaginative and visual tour-de-force, but where “Hero” was a tale of fantasy constructed from China's history, this film is a more intimate story rooted in reality. The action sequences are expertly choreographed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung and impressive set-pieces include the imaginative Echo Game (a repetitive dance too elaborate to describe), a duel under a massive snowfall and what is perhaps a staple in the "wuxia" genre, a chase sequence through a bamboo forest that defies convention by occurring through trees and above them. These scenes are given more dimension and reality through the use of subtle visual effects and an immersive sound design. But the film is more than just a piece of action eye candy. At the center of it is a triangle of emotion and humanity from three very talented actors.

Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of the most sought-after male leads in Asia, best known for his roles in “Chungking Express and the sci-fi actioner “The Returner”. As Captain Jin, he finds himself struggling with his duty as a soldier of the emperor and as a man falling in love with a girl who should be his enemy. This conflict brings him at odds with his best friend, the great Andy Lau, an actor and director himself who brought us the popular “Infernal Affairs” trilogy. Lau is the more experienced of the two as a character and as an actor. The conflict that develops between these two friends is not as gradual as it should be, but their conviction and beliefs make it realistic. One man will betray the other and at the center of it all is another incredible performance from ingenue Zhang Ziyi.

This tiny girl with a tiny voice has proved herself time and time again as a physical performer and an actress with great range, capable of reaching towards emotional depths. The relationship between she and Kaneshiro lasts only a few short days, but the love that develops between them is more than a lifetime's worth as they grow to trust and eventually sacrifice their beliefs and ideals for one another. The film is not without a few unconvincing moments; dialogue and actions that may seem unintentionally humorous (a dagger left in the back of one individual for example), but I think it's due to the fact that information can be lost in the translation. With a brief but memorable supporting performance from Song Dandan and a "blink you might miss it" cameo from the late Anita Mui, “House of Flying Daggers” never fails to impress with its incredible visual beauty and compelling story about finding true love in an unlikely place.