Random Prime
· 12TH OF JANUARY, THE YEAR 2005HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
I don’t understand why this movie made so many top ten lists for 2004. It is, as they all say, exceedingly beautiful in every way. Beautiful scenery, cinematography, choreography, and people. Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro are beautiful in a way that can only be described as ‘fey.’ Seeing Zhang Ziyi utilize facial expressions other than her trademark furious pout was pleasing. Kaneshiro reminded me of Legolas, and not just because he likes impaling people with arrows. He – oh my god! He was involved in the game Onimusha, which is so retrospectively obvious! What a horribly hilarious game.
Regardless, despite all the razzle dazzle, the film’s aesthetic merits fail to compensate for it’s silly love story and sometimes poor writing (at least in translation). The awkward, halted, strictly-above-the-waste sex scenes were boring when then they weren’t making me cringe. Sex in these arty kung fu flicks always seems to proceed as follows: man frowns with lust as his eyes bore holes in woman, who looks hesitant but mildly intrigued. Her shoulder has also been exposed for some reason. Suddenly man throws woman to the floor and immediately begins thrusting with gusto, while concurrently trying to eat her face and neck. Woman is shocked but eventually begins to enjoy herself, whether or not this all started out as consensual. Somehow they manage to do the business without derobing and carry out their post-coital discussion on the impossibility of their relationship fully clothed. God I wish they’d just fade to black.
In short, Hero was much much better. Go spend your money on that DVD instead of shelling out for Flying Daggers.
3 COMMENTS
Sounds like opinion of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Plotline. People ranted and raved about the flying kung-fu, but seriously the movie wasn’t any better than your typical kung-fu flicks. I’m glad I didn’t pay for it.
(For the record: we snuck in because they were sold out, and sat in the 2nd or 1st row. This may have hindered my enjoyment of the movie as I had to “pan-and-scan.”)
Err, “Sounds like (my) opinion…”
ugh, i almost walked out of hero. probably would have if i’d seen it alone instead of with friends. i’ve lost interest in action scenes that are way too unrealistic and which don’t serve any purpose other than eye candy. christopher doyle is cool, though, i have to give him that.