Did you ever wonder what would happen if you threw Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and 24 together in a blender?
No? Me either, but I found out last night when I watched House of the Flying Daggers.
I don’t mean to sound too harsh. If it came out of a blender it was a very aesthetically pleasing blender.
This is a gorgeous film. It, like so many other Asian films, has a depth and beauty in the cinematography that most Western films cannot match. The visuals are stunning, from the changing scenery in the forests to the battle sequences. They take so many more risks by letting their actors move in and out of trees without having the camera dead on their face. They will let the camera pause as an actor walks away from the camera, then stops and waits in the center of the screen.
If I sound like I am praising Asian filmmaking in general and not this film specifically, it is because I am. There is not much different in this film than any other artistic martial arts movie.
Two waring factions: Check
Preferable the corrupt government vs. freedom fighters: Check
A guy and a girl thrown together by fate: Check
They fall in love despite obstacles: Check
The ubiquitous fight in the bamboo forest: Check
Lots of insane arial acrobatics: Check
Main characters dying left and right: Check
A crazy ending which explains nothing: Check
Well, cut and print we have an arthouse martial arts movie.
Honestly, I don’t want to be harsh to the film. I enjoyed it and the intrigue that the characters brought, but I have seen it all before. I enjoy it every time I see it, but nothing original comes through in this film.
House of the Flying Daggers: *** (3 stars)
Worldview of the film: ** (2 stars) You are "teased" with three possible sex scenes, then just when you think it won’t happen – BAM, sex scene, with the actress display great talent at turning in various ways without displaying too much to put the movie into the R category. Numerous sexual innuendos as well as some drinking scenes. As with almost every movie, the good characters are willing to sacrifice for the good of others.
Overall: If you like those type of movies, watch it. It is enjoyable enough and better than most of what is on tv today.
Dude, since you are on the movie kick, here's my feedback:
House of Flying Daggers (good): Very colorful, ending was a bit drawn out – definitely a love triangle tradgedy.
Hero (great): One of my favorite martial arts films – funny stuff. Even better than Legend of Drunken Master (also classic chan).
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon": (best) Besides imaginative and poetic action it provides serious human drama as befits the maker of "Sense and Sensibility." My favorite martial arts flick.
btw: Aaron, I recommend reading Josh's blog for 7/20.
I rate Hero, Crouching Tiger, and House of Daggers in that order. I read in Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, that Eastern "art" focuses on being there and western, not cowboys and indians, "art" focuses on getting there. I see this demonstrated in the movies above by the incredible use of scenary. My favorite scene: The fight scene in Hero between Sky and the "Swift" swordsman.
I will have to see Hero. I loved Crouching Tiger and I really enjoyed Flying Daggers.
I just wish Hollywood and the Asian film market would come out with something new and original.
Crouching Tiger deserves the credit because I'm almost certain it was the first movie featuring the wire-kung-fu that we've all come to expect. The thing about Hero – despite its absolutely beautiful use of color – was that it seemed like it had been done before (and also seemed to defend China's government). I haven't seen HoFD, but I'm going to guess that it will remind me of Crouching Tiger.
Also, how strange is it that all of us – Aaron, Louis, Seeker and I – who can rarely agree on anything, are all kung-fu junkies? Dorkdom unites us apparently, even if nothing else does.
Sam
Yeah, I guess kung fu doesn't have any worldview connotations… or does it?!? LOL.
I must say, I'm more of a sci fi dorkus. I am so pumped for the release of Serenity, the movie spawned from the one excellent season of Firefly.
Croching Tiger did seem new and fresh, but perhaps that is only because it was the most publicized recent kung-fu movie.
Funny story about going to see it:
My future wife and I sat down in a fairly crowded theater behind a black couple. We knew that the movie was subtitled, but apparently the girl forgot to tell her boyfriend. The first time he saw the subtitles, he said, "I know this movie ain't in English. Oh, hell no, I ain't sitting through two hours of Chinese and subtitles."
As far as dorkdom uniting, It's kind of like what I always say about Chinese (or really Asian) buffets – You will find everybody there. There are rednecks, preps, thugs, illegal immigrants, dorks, black, white, hispanic, anybody. Everybody it seems enjoys sitting down and piling plates full of fried rice, egg rolls, chicken spiced 13 different ways and beef and brocolli.
Apparently, the world does not need more love, it needs more Asian films and cuisine…..Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto rocks!