Movie: House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)

Actors: Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro..
Director: Yimou Zhang, Producer:

Stunning! Beautiful! Opulent! Visually breathtaking! Aesthetic perfection! All these words and phrases could be used to describe Zhang Yimou`s latest action/love-story blockbuster, House of Flying Daggers, which I had the pleasure of (and believe me, pleasure is the exact word) seeing last night at the cinema. The story is an interesting mix of thriller and romance with breath-taking wushu action thrown in for good measure and great twists at the end!

The acting by all 3 leads is very good but this movie is all about spectacle and it delivers in spades--even outdoing Hero in its visual magnificence. I know that I have used many adjectives in this description but it is not mere hyperbole--this film has scenes of such perfect beauty that it almost brings one to tears. Indeed, I am reminded of the autobiography of the Urdu poet, Josh Malihabadi, who wrote that once he went into his garden at dawn and the beauty was so perfect that he actually broke down and began to cry. There are scenes in this movie with such power. Chinese cinema of this quality leaves both Hollywood and European cinema standing in its wake.