House of Flying Daggers
House of Flying Daggers was the second Yimou Zhang film released in the U.S. in 2004; it followed his enigmatic anti-war film Hero, and featured much of the same wire-stunt martial arts action. The stylistic similarities probably accounted for its tame box-office and critical reception, but it's got more issues than that. The epic love poem storyline of star-crossed lovers fighting on opposite sides of a revolutionary war takes too long to set up and get interesting. By the time it does, you feel more overburdened by spectacle than substance. Mind you, the spectacle is fantastic, a tapestry of brilliant colors and martial artistry, not to mention the stunningly beautiful Zhang Ziyi. Most people look worse under the scrutiny of high definition, but House of Flying Daggers and its leading lady probably both look spectacular on Blu-Ray. If only the historical fantasy it is built upon were more structurally sound.
- October 15, 2008
DVD Extras
There's no shortage of extra material, but its usefulness depends on your appreciation of the movie. There are two featurettes (one on the making of the movie, the other about the visual effects); photo galleries of the set, costumes and storyboards; a lame music video for the lame theme song; and previews. There is also a commentary track with Zhang Ziyi and director Yimou Zhang, which I didn't listen to, but I'm curious now that I think about it—are there two sets of subtitles while watching the film with commentary? Which track has to be dubbed?