House of Flying Daggers

2004 Action/Adventure

Chinese director Zhang Yimou fuses a martial arts action-drama with a tragic romance in this elegant period piece. In the year 859 A.D., as the Tang dynasty is beset by rebellion, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are a pair of lawmen who have been given the task of ferreting out the leaders of a revolutionary faction known as the Flying Daggers. Working on a tip that members of the group are working out of a brothel called the Peony Pavilion, Jin arrives there in disguise and is introduced to a beautiful blind dancer named Mei (Zhang Ziyi). After watching Mei's performance following several drinks, Jin drunkenly attempts to have his way with her, and Leo is forced to intervene. After gaining Mei's trust in a game of skill, Leo arrests her and informs her that she'll be tortured if she doesn't tell all she knows about the Flying Daggers. Jin responds by helping Mei break out of prison, but he has an ulterior motive -- by following her, Leo and Jin are certain she'll lead them to the Flying Daggers. However, as he helps the blind girl find her way back home, Jin finds himself falling in love with Mei, and isn't certain if he's willing to betray her again. more..

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Song Dandan

Reviews

  • House of Flying Daggers finds the great Chinese director at his most romantic in this thrilling martial arts epic that involves a conflict between love and duty carried out to its fullest expression.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • Forget about the plot, the characters, the intrigue, which are all splendid in House of Flying Daggers, and focus just on the visuals.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Chinese director Zhang Yimou understands perfectly that the small can be epic and awe-inspiring. And, by the way, he knows how to get big, too.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • The sheer joy of letting go as a tale overwhelms your senses and drives the known world away -- that's the story.

    Stephen Hunter - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • An astonishing combination of spectacle, suspense, martial-arts flash, sublime silliness, anti-gravity action and passionate intensity -- before and after everything else, it's a grand love story.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Achievement in Cinematography

    Academy Awards (2005)

     
  • Best Actress

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2005)

     
  • Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Design

    Australian Screen Sound Guild (2005)

  • Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects

    BAFTA Awards (2005)

     
  • Best Cinematography

    Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (2004)