With superbly staged fights and a jack-in-the-box plot, “House of Flying Daggers” seems like a routine high-flying martial arts endeavor at first, but pulls out the stops near its Shakespearean conclusion.
In ninth century China, the government has lost control of its people. A group of revolutionaries, the “House of Flying Daggers,” is the Chinese equivalent of the men of Sherwood Forest: the members rob the wealthy and help the poor. However, some police deputies believe they’ve found the key to locating and overtaking the pesky anarchists: a blind dancer (Ziyi Zhang), the alleged daughter of the rebel faction’s former leader.
Right away, you might cringe from the unoriginality, the trusty “political superpower fights the revolutionaries” set-up (almost like “Star Wars” in the Far East whether you realize it or not).
Amazingly, “House” doesn’t wallow in grand-scale schemes for long; it transforms into an emotionally confounding character study, complete with jealousy, tragedy and a breathtaking sword duel. Although this time, the men can make their swords bend.
Zhang, an intense star who spiced up the elegant “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” brings a cold resoluteness and sadness to her role. And she receives ample support from the charming Takeshi Kaneshiro, who plays Jin, a womanizing and wisecracking deputy. See Kaneshiro’s dirty smile when he says, “If I die under a skirt, I can still flirt as a ghost.” Zhang and Kaneshiro display a white-hot chemistry amid exhausted love dialogue and eye-pleasing scraps like the frantic tussle in the bamboo forest. But don’t forget Andy Lau as Kaneshiro’s police partner. Lau is a scarred fellow torn between love and duty. As Lau’s faults conquer his reason, the humanity of “House” finds center stage.
Wait, does the film exude visual magnificence? While the tree scaling and flying seem a bit played out, the fight choreography will throw your nerves into a mesmerizing overload. Stunning doesn’t begin to describe the graphic brilliance when a dagger practically becomes a seeker missile. Plus, the finale involves a gradual flurrying snowstorm, a dramatic dropkick to the eyes.
Here’s the main question: does “House” offer something different? When the characters discuss being free as the wind, it’s a clich?d trip. Yet the final hour is an enthralling and complex arrow through the heart.
Disappointingly, the DVD extras aren’t nearly as impressive as the movie. The visual effects creation extra lasts about four minutes and gives off a thrown-in feel. The 45-minute making-of feature demonstrates the exactness of director Zhang Yimou, who also directed “Hero.”
Other extras include a costumes gallery, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery, a storyboard comparison and a generally likable commentary track with Zhang and Yimou.