Yesterday I managed to get along to see the House Of Flying Daggers before it stopped showing at the cinemas. I had seen the preview and it definitely looked like one of those movies you have to see on the big screen. Made more in the style of the movie, Hero, and starring one of the actresses (Ziyi Zhang) from both that movie and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this movie focuses less on the martial arts action and definitely more on the storyline and cinematography.

Let me warn you now, there is no mistake that this movie is based on a love-story with most of the conflict really there to build each character before a stunningly predictable finale, so be sure to indulge in the fighting scenes you do see. Admittedly the storyline succeeds with what it tries to do and manages to throw in a number of twists which I did not see coming (but I tend to be pretty naive in these things).

Cinematically this movie exceeds in being visually stunning, with each scene filled with backgrounds and costumes indulgently rich in both detail and colour. At times I felt like some of the scenes were only there to provide yet another opportunity at showcasing more detail, but they were all entertaining nevertheless.

The House of Flying Daggers is one movie you have to see, but make sure it’s at least once in the cinemas.