House of the Flying Daggers…..
As you know, Mr Zhang is not the type of person who does things by halves. So it is with some trepidation that his fans and admirers most eagerly awaited the release of his martial arts film. When it emerged, it drew mixed reviews. Some critics said it doesn’t have the depth of a true classic. Others liked it because first, it is a fancy kung fu film mixed with a heavy dose of romance. The three principal characters of the story are Takeshi Kenishiro as Jin, Andy Lau as Leo and Zhang Ziyi as Mei. You could say it is a menage a trois but that would really be stretching it. Anyway, the subplots and clever twists of the House of Flying Daggers can bring a smile to your face. Zhang Yimou wouldn’t be the man he is if he doesn’t inject some of his original ideas into the kind of story that has been circulating in Asian cinemas for decades. You could say that its action scenes are quite classy. Some detractors may label that as contrived. As for me, it was enjoyable. Nothing like a slo-mo to speed up your andrenaline enjine. It’s one thing to see someone whips out an elaborately designed dagger, and it’s quite another to watch it fly through the air and twists and turns as it hits the target. Ah, the wonder of CGI or computer graphics. The special effects are now well within reach of all cinema film makers who have deep pockets. So if you have a good story to tell and it can be enhanced with the special effects produced by the likes of Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas), then so much the better. I thought Andy Lau was a mis-cast in this movie. I am so used to seeing Lau Tak Wah or Ah Wah Chye in Hong Kong movies that it took me a long time to acquaint myself with his performance in this show. Andy Lau has got a certain following in Southeast Asia. And I am not one of his fans. It doesn’t mean I don’t like him but to me, Andy is Andy. I prefer Zhang Yimou’s actors and actresses to be people I don’t really know. This is to avoid having a stereo-typed view of a particular actor. In Andy’s case, I still have not got used to seeing him in this film. However, Takeship Kenishiro seemed to be all right for his role as Jin. Zhang Ziyi was the only person absolutely perfect for the movie. She has got that kind of impish-vampish persona. Sometimes I really don’t know what to make out of this girl. I know she’s Zhang Yimou’s second protege after Gong Li. Beauty-wise, I am more biased towards Gong Li but Zhang Ziyi is beginning to impress me. She tries so hard in all her movies. It is said that director Zhang Yimou came up with the idea of The House of Flying Daggers back in the late 1990s, as chapter two to Hero (2002) or Ying Ziong. So if you want to see that special Yimou touch, you need to watch both movies. The fighting sequences of The House of Flying Daggers are highly stylised. Then some romance to add some spice to the story. Again, the love story is slightly complicated. Quite unlike the love stories of Chinese movies of the 50s and 60s - straightforward and clear as unpolluted water. I guess the mainlanders have since matured in a slightly Western way. Shi mian mai fu or House of the Flying Daggers collected 14 minor awards out of a basketful of 33 nominations for excellence in various categories. The Oscar however eluded Zhang Yimou. I understand that Zhang said he didn’t really care for that grand American award but deep in his heart, I am sure he wasn’t exactly pleased. Maybe he wasn’t that heartsick but to have gained that US honour would have added a nice, big feather on his director’s cap. Afterall, his counterpart Ang Lee of Taiwan can brag of bagging a few of that golden man. The movie is about 118 minutes long. Let me put it this way, you won’t shed tears of regret if you see it in the cinema. You need to enjoy the special effects on the big screen.
