House of Flying Daggers

Over the weekend, I saw House of Flying Daggers. Zhang Yimou co-wrote and directed the movie. As with Hero, his previous film, he infuses this one with bold colors and breathtaking scenes.

His movies are like art galleries, where actors occupy paintings instead of sets. The story progresses from one visual masterpiece to the next. Daggers showcases the four seasons. The film begins with a spring-colored pavilion, travels to a brilliant green bamboo forest, rushes across an autumnal plain and concludes on a snow-covered field (thanks to a freak blizzard).

Despite what felt like overacting, I liked the three leads, especially Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. The action, music and choreography were exciting throughout the movie, but the story was often convoluted. The writers seemed to gloss over logic to achieve certain plot twists and betrayals. Still, its strengths more than make up for its flaws, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as Hero, I'd happily see it again.