L. KENT WOLGAMOTT/ Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 6:00 pm
A story of love in a time of political turmoil, of deception, betrayal and passion, "House of Flying Daggers" is, in terms of plot, a classic romance. But director Zhang Yimou has set that romance inside an upscale Chinese martial arts film, filling the screen with stunning, highly choreographed action.
Everything is gorgeously shot by cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding, creating a film even more captivating than Yimou's last picture, "Hero."
Like "Hero," "House of Flying Daggers" is set in ancient China. In contrast to that film, "House of Flying Daggers" is relatively small scale the story of three people caught up in the decline of the Tang Dynasty in 859 A.D.
As the empire crumbles, rebel armies are forming across China. The largest of those armies is the House of Flying Daggers, which, Robin Hood-like, robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Both admired and feared by the people, the House of Flying Daggers has its enemies the Imperial Army and its local captains.
Having assassinated the House of Flying Daggers' old leader, captains Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are ordered to find and kill the rebels' mysterious new leader in 10 days a seemingly impossible task.
But they learn that a new dancer at the local brothel is a member of the House of Flying Daggers. So Jin goes "undercover." Pretending to be a drunken reveler, he asks for the new girl. Mei is presented to him. She is strikingly beautiful and blind.
Mei is played by Ziyi Zhang, who starred in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and also appeared in "Hero," and her performance is brilliant.
Busted by Leo, Mei gives a spectacular "Echo Dance" before revealing her alliance with the rebels. They fight. She's captured and threatened with torture and death. To save her life, she agrees to lead Leo and Jin and, by extension, the entire army to the House of Flying Daggers.
Again, Jin goes undercover, acting as if he has rescued her from prison. Running through forests and fields, Jin and Mei fight off attackers and begin to be attracted to each other. But nothing that is happening is as it seems.
To say more would unfairly unravel too much of "House of Flying Daggers." Simply note that there are well-plotted twists in each of the last two acts of the standardly structured film that winds up being about love and sacrifice.
Before that payoff occurs, it sometimes seems the story line in "House of Flying Daggers" is just a vehicle to establish the martial arts scenes.
With a fight in a bamboo forest, in which the lovers are running on the ground while their enemies fly through the trees, a fight in a field pairing the duo of Jin and Mei against a couple dozen soldiers and bookending one-on-one battles, "House of Flying Daggers" has action sequences that are just as beautiful, imaginative and impressive as anything in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Hero."
But what makes it a special film is Yimou's talent for exquisite visuals and touching storytelling. Nominated three times for best foreign language film Oscars (don't be surprised if "House of Flying Daggers" gets him No. 4), Yimou never creates less than a compelling, human story. Here he lets the action emphasize that humanity, a difficult task to pull off.
It helps that he has cast three of the best actors in Asia Japanese-Taiwanese leading man Kaneshiro, Hong Kong megastar Lau and the brilliant, beautiful Zhang, a Beijing native who made her debut in Yimou's 1999 picture "The Road Home." The trio generates plenty of sparks, and under the tutelage of action director Tony Ching Siu Tung, who has worked with all the major Hong Kong action stars, they are at the center of the spectacular, balletlike action.
As is the case with all great films, the music sets much of the mood and the perfectly done sound is as critical to the action as what is seen on screen.
A special plus: The print of "House of Flying Daggers" that will run for the next two weeks at the Ross Media Arts Center, is new, allowing the gorgeous film to be experienced in all its visual splendor.
If you saw "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "Hero" or have the remotest interest in high-style Chinese martial arts films, don't miss "House of Flying Daggers." It's great.
Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.