After watching "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" yesterday I'm in
the mood to watch more Chinese films. There will be several in the
next few weeks, but I thought I would start with "House of Flaying Daggers",
one of the most beautiful films ever made. Some people might call it overkill.
Whatever is happening, however brutal the fights might be, everything is
colour-coordinated. The surrounding beauty distracts from the blood flowing.
The battles are like a beautifully staged ballet, a dance of death in the
forests and meadows.
The year is 859 AD. Leo and Jin are two army captains. They work together and
they're close friends. They've been given the job of stopping a band of rebels
called the Flying Daggers. The leader has been killed, but the group is
carrying on without him. There's a rumour that Mei, the daughter of the
former leader, is now working in a local brothel. Leo arrests her, but
Jin frees her from prison, pretending to be sympathetic to the Flying Daggers.
Together they travel north towards the hiding place of the Flying Daggers. Leo
follows them with a small band of soldiers, waiting to attack the rebels when
they've been uncovered.
Jin pretends to be in love with Mei so that she'll trust him, but as they
travel through the beautiful scenery their emotions can't be tamed. The two
fall in love with one another, and Jin feels tempted to give up his loyalty to
the Emperor for her sake. But Mei already has a lover, a jealous lover that
she hasn't seen for three years. Leo is an undercover agent planted in the
government by the Flying Daggers. The lines between duty and romance are
blurred. When the former friends draw swords against one another, is it
because they're political enemies or rival lovers?
Zhang Yimou draws his inspiration from Shakespeare. His love stories are
tragedies. We can't expect a happy ending. Those who love are doomed to die.
This is a film that will make you cry, while you're still overwhelmed by the
scenic beauty and the majestic music.
Success Rate: + 5.7
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