DVD Review | House of Flying Daggers (Region 9)
Written by: Kage Alan

I can’t begin to tell you what a feat it is that “Hero” actually managed to get released here in the US with no edits made.  American studios are notorious in the worst way possible for taking a foreign film and changing it to fit their tastes.  They believe that American audiences can’t understand different cultures and will therefore “not get” their films.  I find this insulting.  It’s rumored that, like the aforementioned “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers” will see a US theatrical release, only there’s no telling what the studio is going to do to our cut of it.  Fortunately, I’ve got the Hong Kong DVD release of it, which means it’s the complete version. 

It is a time of unrest.  The Tang Dynasty is led by an incompetent Emperor and the government itself is overwrought with corruption.  I’m not even going to make the obvious stab at the comparison to the current US Administration, but the thought is there.  Civilians have taken up against the higher authorities, most notably the House of Flying Daggers.  The two captains responsible for hunting down the previous rebel leader are tasked with finding the new one, only they must do so within 10 days.  Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) must go undercover and win the trust of Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a blind dancer who may just be the daughter of the previous leader.  His friend and fellow captain, Leo (Andy Lao), will watch from a distance and keep track of how the mission proceeds.

After infiltrating the place where Mei works and starting a fight there, Jin (calling himself Wind) breaks her out of prison, helps her escape into the woods and fends off several soldiers.  Earning her trust bit by bit, the two head further north, further towards the House and the conclusion of his mission.  Well, there are many twists and turns abound and while it may not seem like it at first, they start to come to light around an hour or so in.  Also, the government is gearing up for a massive strike against the House.  Who will survive?

One thing viewers need to be aware of is that while this film attempts the largeness and grandness of “Hero” (Director Yimao Zhang is responsible for both films), it is actually smaller and more about the lives of three people.  The first half of the film is filled with some fairly breathtaking martial arts and inventive camerawork, though, oddly enough, it does have its share of very ordinary and uninspired sequences too.  As for the second half, especially the final half hour, “House of Flying Daggers” takes a major turn for the tragic and becomes more symbolic than anything else.  It’s this turn that is very likely to confuse viewers and pull them out of the actual film.  It also doesn’t help that the major plot point audiences have been following is never resolved.

EDKO Films has released “House of Flying Daggers” in its original Widescreen format.  Video quality meanders back and forth from nice and crisp to grainy with very little rhyme or reason.  Audio quality fares better.  As for extras, I’m surprised there’s nothing beyond the trailer, a photo gallery and Cast & Crew Filmographies.  Lesser releases have been given 2-disc set editions, so I’m puzzled as to what happened here.  Perhaps, considering the popularity of the film, there will be a re-release in the near future.

When all was said and done and I was finished beating my head against the wall due to the Chinese love of thrusting tragedy into their film when you least expect it, I appreciated “House of Flying Daggers” more than anything else.  The sudden change in tone and plot focus or turn serves either as layers being peeled away to expose the true heart of the film or as what will wind up getting it dismissed as bad writing and direction.  As for the acting, all three leads do well with the material they’ve been given, but Andy Lao’s character has the least to work with and the least screen time of the leads.  Cinematography and costumes are wonderful, though don’t match the elegance of “Hero” or the likes of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Still, this is a worthy effort for those willing to sit back and enjoy what another culture has to say in their own language both verbally and cinematically.

Film Rating: B
DVD Special Features: C-