House of Flying Daggers

Right now, I have mixed opinions about this movie. This movie started out making you think "er... this is just silly... she can't do that..." And then you progress through the movie and you end up going "Oh, now that makes sense!" but by the end of the movie you'll go "WTF! Was that the end?!"

So right now, I can't say I liked the movie, or if I hated it. I think I need to let it sink in first. The scenery and the colours and the intricate layout of scenes were magnificent. The scene in the first part of the movie where they were playing the "Echo Game" was amazing. The design on the props and the surroundings had intricate patterns and you lose yourself in the scene. Sometimes you even forget to read the subtitles cause the scenes are so moving.

Like Hero, the House of Flying Daggers also uses colour to portray moods a various other things. It also stars Zhang Zi Yi!! I've never really watched a film with Takeshi Kaneshiro in it before, so it was interesting watching a Japanese person play the role of a Chinese soldier speaking Mandarin.

The ending just got gorey and grotesque (well, not THAT grotesque, but for the way the movie started... you did not need to see blood spilling the way it did). Not to mention that the storyline didn't eventuate to anything. The movie started with an objective, and in the end, it turned out to be another Love Triangle type movie where the plot is forgotten.

I would say the movie is worth watching for some of the fight scenes, the special effects and the breathtaking scenery, but beyond that, the ending will just make you hate the movie cause it really didn't end. The story was left hanging and there wasn't any closure to some of the characters.

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385004/

Official Website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/houseofflyingdaggers