House of Flying Daggers (2004)

 

At its most basic level, House of Flying Daggers is a Hong Kong film that merges martial arts with a love story in the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon vein. Of course, the storyline itself is quite different from that earlier, more famous (and Oscar-rewarded) film, but the successful blending of the genres makes this movie a success too. In its own way, the plot is rather simple. Against a backdrop of a struggle between a corrupt government and a rebellious force known as the House of Flying Daggers, two men, captains in the military, decide to use a blind showgirl, whom they think is the daughter of the previous leader they have killed, as a means to find the House. One of the men, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), “rescues’ the showgirl, Mei (Zhang Ziyi), from a prison where she is being held captive after demonstrating some remarkable martial arts talents. They are followed everywhere they go and are attacked frequently by soldiers, creating a great deal of suspense as to whether or not they can survive on their journey toward the House of Flying Daggers. Jin and Mei grow to love each other even though they also keep pushing each other apart. It’s a lack of trust at first that keeps them apart, but later it’s the result of him thinking about how he might be betraying his cause by falling in love with the enemy. As realistic as the film can be at times, it’s more of a fable or folktale where the bigger issues of loyalty become less important in the face of overwhelming love and desire for another person. Revelations later in the film come as quite a surprise to the audience and send the film off on a different trajectory, but the core of the film’s plot—the love story—remains the clear focus. House of Flying Daggers is one of the most beautifully shot films of the first decade of the 21^st Century. Two sequences, in particular, highlight the stunning camerawork. The first occurs early in the film, as the other captain, Leo (Andy Lau), forces Mei to participate in an “echo game” where he flicks a bean (or several beans) and she has to strike a drum that would be on the opposite side of circle of drums that surround her. No small feat for a blind showgirl. The other sequence is the stunner, though, as Jin and Mei are attacked by soldiers in a bamboo forest. The greenness of the forest, the swoosh of the weapons, the fast-paced editing—all contribute to the power of this beautifully shot sequence. Scenes like these are, undoubtedly, the reason that House of Flying Daggers was one of the nominees for Best Achievement in Cinematography but sadly lost to The Aviator, a far inferior film in many ways.

Oscar Nomination: Best Achievement in Cinematography