House of Flying Daggers/Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Average customer rating:

Beautifully composed trifle
The Best Films Being Made Today
Mixed
Chinese art
Incredible

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS/CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON-SE (DVD/SXS)
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Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Hero
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Kung Fu Hustle (Widescreen Edition)
Curse of the Golden Flower
Memoirs of a Geisha (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B0007Q6VXM

Amazon.com

No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully composed trifle.......2007-07-02

"House of Flying Daggers" is a truly beautiful film. The color palettes for different scenes, the locations, the costuming - every visual element of this film was carefully selected and then used to its best advantage. The cinematography is spectacular. Each frame could almost be a painting.

But all of this painstaking art is in service of a predictable and overly-long story. If you've ever watched a movie, you know about 5 minutes into this one where it's going and how it's going to end. And man, does this movie take its time getting there. When you essentially have 3 characters, it's tough to round out 2 hours of viewing time with those three people - especially when the story is nothing new.

It's worth a rent if you're into Chinese cinema and aren't expected epic kung-fu battles. Otherwise, "Hero" or "Crouching Tiger" might be better choices.

The Best Films Being Made Today.......2007-05-12

China is reshaping the film industry and raising the bar world-wide making sophisticated, complex, and beautiful movies with messages that transcend the material plane while they redefine the hero and heroines of popular culture.
House of Flying Daggers is a classic along the lines of Crouching Tiger-Hidden Dragon and Hero. Refreshingly different - tender, artistic, and action packed. The challenge now is to bring these qualities to visions of our present day world - if that is even possible.

Mixed.......2007-05-07

The movie deserves 5+ stars for special effects/photgraphy. However, it has a huge story problem, with a plot that has no sense whatsoever. It should get 0 stars for the story!!

Chinese art.......2007-04-27

This Chinese/Hong Kong martial arts film has most things you could ever want from a movie: Theres a classic love triangle, some brilliantly choreographed martial arts, and its all beautifully photographed. This is a great cinematic experience, with many scenes you will never forget. Where the film also scores highly is in its basic story. It wouldn't surprise me if the director Yimou Zhang had seen "Mou gaan dou" (Infernal Affairs) and decided to remake it in a martial arts context.

Perhaps the best scene in the film is the one shot in the Bamboo forest. This looked absolutely breathtaking and on my 42" widescreen TV, sadly I never saw the film at the cinema but it must have been stunning. The use of colour in this scene, and throughout the film is another amazing aspect of the film, and even if you don't have a special interest in martial arts, you may well enjoy this in the same way as you might enjoy looking at a great painting.

I'll admit this won't be to everybodies taste, but on first viewing, its certainly one of the best films I've seen this year, and it won't be long before I have to watch it again.

Incredible.......2007-04-26

This may be one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen. Virtually every frame is a visual work of art, every detail is like a painting. The plot is more of a fantasy, a mythical tale. The director isn't afraid of taking his time with developing the content of a scene, or using time to intensify the emotion or thought therein. This isn't a Western concept in film making, but works better for those who are given to deeper levels of thinking. So, if you're highly extroverted and addicted to sensationalism is Western films, spare yourself and watch something like Die Hard.

This film is in my top-drawer collection, along with the other rare masterpieces in cinema. What a genuine and moving work of art, this film.

Iron Monkey (Special Collector's Edition) [Region 2 Import]

Average customer rating:

Iron Monkey (Special Collector's Edition) [Region 2 Import]

Manufacturer: Hong Kong Legends
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

Special Editions | Fully Loaded DVDs | Features | DVD | Video

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Product Features:

Digitally Re-mastered and restored DVD transfer.
English Dubbed and Cantanese Language with remastered subtitles
AC3 Digital Audio
Interview Gallery
Original Trailer and more

ASIN: B000LPP7OI

Product Description

For this breathtaking epic adventure set in the late Ching dynasty, acclaimed action director Yuen Woo-ping combines incredible dynamic, high-flying fight-action and stunning cinematography with a classic story of courage, honour and sacrifice. International action superstars Donnie Yen ("Once upon a Time in China 2," "Highlander 4") and Yu Rong Kwong ("Shanghai Noon," "Project S") give immaculate performances as two legendary warriors who must put their lives on the line to defeat the barbaric excesses of a corrupt political regime and protect the lives of the people whose cause they champion. Making judicious use of low-key lighting, high contrast colour combinations and a haunting soundtrack, director Yuen Woo-ping creates a unique visual tapestry and captures a mood, which is generally romantic and yet emotionally charged. Each fight sequence is both original and enervating, possessing a relentless kinetic energy and strong emotional underscoring, which lifts it well beyond traditional martial arts action.

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