House of Flying Daggers ( Shi mian mai fu ) Movie Information

Movie Information

Overall Rank: 1040

Average Rating: 2.9/4

# of Ratings: 198

Theatrical Release Date: 12/03/2004

Language: Mandarin

Genre: Action, Romance

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: Yimou Zhang

Actors: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Dandan Song, Hongfei Zhao, Jun Guo

Plot: A heroic warrior breaks an friend out of prison from a rival when romance, possible betrayal and deception occurs.

Quick Movie Reviews

Rating of
2.5/4

Zeborah - wrote on 04/14/2012

Very pretty, but a bit slow-paced and thin. Plus I've never been one for either the torn-between-two-loves trope or the ready-to-risk-all-for-love trope. (Also, the dubbing was technically good but artistically terrible and between the two very distracting; should be watched with subtitles.)

Rating of
3/4

Unknown - wrote on 12/16/2011

More of the high-flying stylized Asian fighting here. It's about as good as the rest of them.

Rating of
3/4

Bribaba - wrote on 05/03/2011

The House of Flying Daggers is a great title for any film, and in this case the finished article more than lives up to the promise suggested. The sets, the lighting, the costumes, the set-pieces; it makes you realise how audiences must have felt when they first encountered sound. The action sequences are astonishing, even though it's essentially a love story. That's quite enough in itself, but there's also a political allegory running lightly in the background. Light enough, at least, for the film to be considered suitable for export, unlike some of Zimou's earlier, more trenchant works. The beauty of this film is that can be enjoyed on many different levels and, hopefully, by many different people.

Full Movie Reviews

Daniel Corleone
Daniel Corleone
Movie God

Rating of
3/4

House of Flying Daggers review

Daniel Corleone - wrote on 05/30/2013

"Don't let beauty blind your judgement." Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Liu (Andy Lau) were tasked to assassinate a leader. Mei (Zhang Ziyi) is a blind dancer was suspected of being the daughter of the old leader of the Flying Daggers. Mei's dance number though impressive slows the pace of the plot. The action was spectacular and direction was skillful. It was unbelievable how Wind hit 4 guys all at the same time when he used various arrows. Screenplay was effective with quotes: "I hate the corrupt government" "Marriage is a big deal." - Wind. "To be free...like the wind." - Mei and "You can't force a woman against her will." - Nia. A The cinematography was like looking at a canvass. House of Flying Daggers is a film about deception, loyalty, love, respect for women and opposing …

Yojimbo
Yojimbo
Movie God

Rating of
3.5/4

"House Of Flying Daggers" by Yojimbo

Yojimbo - wrote on 12/16/2011

A provincial guardsman goes undercover and breaks a blind swordswoman out of prison to discover the location of a secret society of rebellious assassins. Zhang Yimou's follow up to Hero is a similarly stunning combination of artistic visuals and beautifully choreographed martial arts, but this time he throws an epic story of unrequited love into the mix. The story's format is another favourite of Chinese cinema, that of the undercover cop with divided loyalties, but blended with mythical fantasy and star crossed lovers it plays out almost like The Departed crossed with Romeo And Juliet. This makes for a more complex character dynamic than that of Hero and therefore a more engaging story, although it does suffer similarly to the previous film in that it can feel like the plot is just a …

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