House Of Flying Daggers

Year: 2004

Grade: C+

Country: China

Director: Zhang

Review

it occurred to me while i was watching this latest zhang (hero) feature that his films, and many martial arts films in general, are just international versions of american musicals. there’s a certain lyricism to the fight sequences and an emphasis on the fight choreography as a dance, more than as a fight. there is also a definite suspension of reality that occurs in both musicals and these types of martial arts films – clearly no one can fly through the air like they do in this film, and no group of people breaks out into song and dance the way they do in an american in paris. unfortunately this film was a bit on the slow side and without christopher doyle the cinematography just wasn’t as good as it was in hero.

Watched in theater