House of Flying Daggers (aka Shi mian mai fu)

Posted by: Luna on Friday, December 3rd, 2004


* Soldiers from another county swarm to kill Jin and Mei.	This is one of the most refreshing action movies that MovieMuckers staff has seen all year! The House of Flying Daggers has struck a chord in our hearts s being truly the top 10 best films of 2004.
The general premise has been played oh so many times, dates back even further than Shakespeare’s time. It is about twists and turns of love and deception, and yet the Director Zhang Yimou finds a creative and convincing way to capture the oh-so-tired plot and make it alive on film again.

How can such simple emotions create so much beauty and treachery? There is no formula for why these two go hand in hand. But to relay it on film, the Zhang Yimou’s formula is simple: A) Dazzling scenery, B) Wonderful acrobatics, C) Spectacular fighting scenes (not those wimpy ones, but real long drawn out fight to the death battles), D) Glimpses into the hearts of the antagonist and protaginists, E) and most importantly, the mysticism of the Chinese and their ways of requiting love, their unwillingness to lament their pain, and living up to honour and duty. If this movie was ever a book, the movie must be better than it! The action is non stop. You will feel deeply for these characters as they battle their own demons. This is same production house that brought you HERO. Hero is a stellar movie, however I would say that the House of Flying Daggers is more bang for your buck. BOTTOM LINE: GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
* The Echo Game is played by Leo, a game where one throws a dagger in the direction of where the sound is made by the opponent.	* Mei is captured and was to be sentence to death in the torture apparatus
The following Synopsis was taken from the official movie website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers/poster.html They explain the story the best, and MM will let them do the story telling. START OF REAL SYNOPSIS It is 859AD, and the Tang Dynasty, one of the most enlightened empires in Chinese history at its height, is in decline. The Emperor is incompetant and the government is corrupt. Unrest is spreading throughout the land, and many rebel armies are forming in protest. The largest, and most prestigious, is an underground alliance called the “House of Flying Daggers”. The House of Flying Daggers operates mysteriously, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Thus, they have earned the support and admiration of the people and expanded quickly. Based in Feng Tian County, close to The Imperial Capital, the House of Flying Daggers has long been a thorn in the side of the local deputies, their hated rivals. The deputies are enraged because, even after they fought and killed the leader of the House of Flying Daggers, the House continues to thrive. Under the leadership of a mysterious new leader, the House of Flying Daggers grows ever more powerful. Feng Tian Country’s two local captions, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are ordered to capture the new leader within ten days.
* Saving Mei, Jin sends 4 arrows straight at the soldiers	* A theatrical performance by the prized Mei in the Peony Pavillion
Captian Leo suspects that Mei (Zhang ZiYi), the beautiful new dancer at the local Peony Pavilion, is actually the daughter of the old leader. He hatches a plan to arrest her and bring her in for questioning. When Mei refuses to divulge any information on the House of Flying Daggers, the two captains set up another plan. This time, Captain Jin will pretend to be a lone warrior called Wind and rescue Mei from prison, earning her trust and escorting her to the secret headquarters of the House of Flying Daggers. The plan works, and on their long journey to the House, Jin and Mei warm to each other. Befor long, Mei has developed feelings for her enigmatic protector, and Jin is surprised to find himself falling for Mei’s headstrong charm. Both struggle to contain their feelings, but under the starry night, their irrepressible desire is almost beyond their control. Danger lurks in the forest surrounding them, and the wind is still, as if sensing the tension in the air. What lies ahead for Jin and Mei, these star-crossed lovers? If this is true love, then why are their plots on their heads and secrets in their hearts? END OF REAL SYNOPSIS
* The fight to the finish. Both enraged at each other over Mei, both because they loved her and because neither could have her.	Official Website: sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers

Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro (Jin), Andy Lau (Leo), Zhang Ziyi (Mei), Dandan Song (Yee)

Mei and Jin fight off soldiers in the bamboo forest. Just when it looks like they’re going to be killed, they are saved by the House of Flying Daggers. Leo and Jin are captured by them. It is then the sham is revealed. Mei isn’t really blind nor is she the daughter of the old leader. She is just one of the Daggers. Leo, the deputy, is actually one of the Daggers as well. He had been spying on the government for years. Leo is in love with Mei and tries to do it with her, but she isn’t interested. He figures out that she has fallen in love with Jin. In a fit of anger and jealousy, he tries to rape her, but is stabbed in the back by a dagger from a member of the Daggers. She sends Leo off to do more spy work and then orders Mei to kill Jin. Mei takes Jin to a remote area, but she cannot kill him. She frees him instead and they end up making passionate love. Afterwards, they reluctantly go their separate ways. Mei changes her mind and decides to go after him, but is shot with a dagger by Leo. Leo is angry that she was going to go off with Jin. He furiously tells her she may not ever love him, but he refuses to let her go to Jin. Before Mei collapses, she tells him she knew he would do this, but she wanted to go anyways so she could be free, like the wind. Jin changes his mind and decides to go back to Mei. He finds out Leo had killed her, so he fights him. A major snow storm suddenly appears (which I think is supposed to be a symbol of death. Four seasons have gone by, so the cycle is ending) and they are still fighting, slicing each other and drawing lots of blood. Mei, who is not quite dead but still has the dagger in her chest, suddenly gets up and threatens to kill Leo with the dagger if he kills Jin. Jin tries to convince her not to pull the dagger out, but she does in an attempt to save her true love. Mei dies and Jin cries while cradling her in his arms while the snow is still falling. Leo stumbles away looking devastated.

Personal comments about this movie?
I absolutely loved this movie! I believe it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in 2004. The soundtrack was wonderful. I really loved the music and it totally fit perfectly with the film. The visuals were shot with such beauty and elegance. From the landscapes of mountains and meadows, fields of flowers and snow, autumn leaves to the bamboo forest, every aspect of nature looked stunning. The martial arts scenes were executed with such grace and style. I especially loved the bamboo tree forest battles. It was similar to the treetop scene in Crouching Tiger, but this one looked much better. It just one breathtaking scene after another. Beautiful love story between Mei and Jin with enough sexual and passionate chemistry to keep the viewers interested. Wonderful music that really set the tone for each scene of the movie. Terrific acting by Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi. Another one of my favorite scenes was the Echo Game that took place inside the Peony Pavilion. A definite must-see for people who loved Hero and/or Crouching Tiger!

Want to know more?
Read more about this film at The Internet Movie Database.
Don’t forget to Check out the official site OR Watch the trailer!