In the past few months, foriegn films coming out of China and Japan featuring martial arts have been getting quite a treatment here in the states. A few are released, and they are all excellent, but they never seem to appeal to the mass U.S. market. This is understandable, as subtitles just aren't for everyone, but it is a little sad. House of Flying Daggers is the latest of these films, and perhaps the best since Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It is better than 99% of any action film made in the U.S., and proves that there still is some originality and beauty left in filmmaking.
As the movie begins, we learn that the Emperor of China is weakening, and there is a rebel group opposing him. This rebel group works together as assassins, and they are the House of Flying Daggers. A police inspector named Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is charged with infiltrating this clan, and begins his search at a local brothel, where he meets Mei (Ziyi Zhang). This is the first brilliant scene in the movie. And it's only a simple dance. It turns out that Mei is a member of the House of Flying Daggers. Mei is also blind, which allows Jin to "rescue" Mei from the police, so she will lead him to their hideout. Along the way, emotions run high, and Jin doesn't really know what he's running from.
The story, while excellent, really is second-best compared the beautiful imagery found in this movie. I know I said this about Hero as well, but this movie has even more of it. It's like poetry in motion. And sometimes, it is poetry standing still. There are several long scenes in which there is no movement, but the significance of the scene is almost overpowering. There's a fight amongst bamboo trees that is highly original in its execution. My favorite part of the movie was the highly charged climactic fight, in which two warriors fight from a sunny day into a raging snowstorm. The shadows shift across the trees dynamically, giving the impression that these two men have been fighting for months upon months, and the seasons have indeed changed.
The choreography is another high point of this movie. Like in many Asian films, it is necessary to show the whole picture of what is happening, or just a glimpse until the whole picture is needed. This is what makes a simple dance so stunning to watch. Some of my favorite parts in the movie were when the daggers were thrown, because they acted like they had a mind of its own, and the camera followed along beautifully. If I could compare how they react and maneuver to anything, it would be similar to Spider-Man swinging around on his webs. Graceful, and yet determined. It's truly a unique sight.
I know that the typical American movie-goer will pass this one up without a second thought. They'll probably go see some inane flick like Electra instead. This really is a shame, because I would imagine that U.S. movie producers will stop bringing these films stateside if they don't think it is worth it. Here is a film that is not generic, cliched, poorly acted or written, and people will refuse to see it because it's too mysterious or something. While that is a shame, House of Flying Daggers will remain one of the best movies I've seen all year. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much since Return of the King. That's got to tell you something.