Excellent film from the director of "Hero". This time it's set at the end of the Tang Dynasty. The same beautiful (and sometimes over-the-top) cinematography. The plot is enjoyably twisty but not as complicated and intriguing as the flashback narrative of Hero. Hero had too much flying around; I prefer the martials arts in Flying Daggers. It's still beyond credibility but not quite into fantasy. Flying Daggers is a better love story. However, it's a Chinese film and, as you know, Chinese films don't have happy endings. Highly recommended.
This is most certainly a beautiful film. There are two things that contribute to its beauty. First, the cinematography is lush and glorious; so many of the images would make beautiful still pictures. In addition, the scenes are so entirely unexpected; the situations are so imaginative that I was continually thinking that I never expected to see this in a movie.
ReplyDeleteThe plot, too, is unexpected, with twists that always leave you off balance.
A note to the squeamish: all but the final 5 minutes are completely blood-free. Just close your eyes in the final scene and it will have been a well worth-while experience.