April 21, 2005
House of Flying Daggers
Tonight I finally saw House of Flying Daggers and I was definitely not disappointed. Though it was written and directed by the same men behind Hero, House of Flying Daggers is a very different film. Hero is a surreal action film with romantic elements, whereas House of Flying Daggers is more of an Eastern love story with surreal action elements. Both films have a great deal of visual beauty, but House of Flying Daggers is less over the top. One has to remember that Hero's story unfolds through the recollection of memories by each character, allowing for a vast degree of hyperbole and exaggeration, while House of Flying Daggers is told in a more traditional and literal fashion. House of Flying Daggers is certainly beautiful with many artistic visual elements, but don't expect to see people locking swords while walking on water.
I really enjoyed both films, but I don't particularly like comparing them. House of Flying Daggers is not meant to be a true action film, so I don't like comparing it to one. It's really a tale of love, deception, loyalty and the constant interplay of such forces. People who like swordplay mixed with their romance will definitely dig House of Flying Daggers. However, pure action fans won't be pleased. I found the story to be lovely and the action sequences to be excellent, so I have no complaints.
Posted by Mike at April 21, 2005 11:22 PM