User Reviews

Seldom will you find, such beauty unrefined, a multi-coloured canvas, seductive elegance with prowess, that caresses like a breeze, a wind that sails throughout the trees, soaring high, gliding along, the ever changing seasons song.

As visually spectacular a piece of filmmaking that you're ever likely to come across, with some outstanding scenes choreographed to perfection, the acting and performances in perfect tune with the surroundings, all centred around deception, deceit and devotion, leaves a film that perpetually stands the test of time and nails a dagger to your heart each and every time you return.

Shi Mian Mai Fu belongs to a growing body of work that embodies a clearly Asian aesthetic packaged just as clearly for Western consumption. It is no coincidence that, each time I paused the DVD for whatever reason, the still image on the screen was as beautiful as any classic wood block print by Hiroshige or Hokusai. Xiaoding Zhao's elegant cinematography imbues every scene with haunting beauty. Think Tak Fujimoto times ten, with no disrespect meant to Fujimoto, who shoots Western movies and still manages to inject his refined visual sense into such great films as Silence of the Lambs and Sixth Sense.

Director Yimou Zhang's work in Hero was more epic, more heroic, but SMMF has a more refined sense of story. The cast, the scenery, the music, including vocal performances by the legendary Kathleen Battle; all elements conspire brilliantly to convey subtle and nuanced meaning in moments. The story, as do all good stories of this genre, revolves around a delicate interplay of love, betrayal, deception and heroism of many different kinds, and, oh yes, those stunning ballets of combat layered with evocative sounds and effects.

In a nutshell, the plot goes something like this. A beautiful blind showgirl is captured as a spy. Her captors conspire to trick her into leading them to her leader. Along the way, both hunter and quarry become entangled in a web of subterfuge and deception. Add in a beautifully tragic romantic story line, again, as all such movies must have, and never forget that the essence of all truly great tragedy is inevitability.

This movie is also known as Ambush From Ten Sides, and in that more literal translation of its title you will find its essence. A worthy successor to Hero, though not as magnificent as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, in which Ziyi Zhang gives the performance of a lifetime and the one against all her other roles will be judged, and in this case, fall short, House of Flying Daggars is nevertheless a feast for the senses and a fully satisfying cinematic experience.

In the Ninth Century, the Tang Dinasty in China is weak and corrupt, and an army of rebels called "The House of the Flying Daggers" fights against the government military forces, and steals from the rich to give to the poor people. Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), two captains of the government army, plot a scheme against the rebels using the blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi) to approach their leaders, but their love for Mei leads them to a tragedy.

"Shi mian mai fu" is a beautiful romantic adventure, with amazing clothing, cinematography, colors, music score, fight and martial arts choreography and special effects. The story begins like an action movie, and ends like a tragic romance. Visually, it is an impressive masterpiece, the story is also very nice, Zhang Ziyi is amazingly gorgeous and I really liked this movie a lot. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Clã das Adagas Voadoras"("The Clan of the Flying Daggers")

China 859 AD,the once-mighty Tang dynasty is in decline.His corrupt government no longer controls the land,unrest sweeps the country.Village by village an underground alliance forms the ¨House of flying daggers¨.Based near the imperial capital ¨ The House¨ moves in the shadows.Stealing from the rich to give to the poor,they earn the support of the people.At the same time they are feared and hated by their bitter rivals,the local deputies. Mei(Zhang Zyi) is a gorgeous ,exotic, and rare beauty dancer, she's an intrepid and blind warrior(as Zaitochi,the blind samurai).She's suspicious of pertaining to revolutionary group.Two officials(Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau) are assigned their deadly mission : capture her and inquire where the band is hidden. Now the protagonists pull off a dangerous journey and they'll fight against warriors grasped to trees,impressive combats and battles of incredible scenarios. The same director¨Hero¨,Zhang Yimou, and the starring of¨Hero¨and ¨Crouching Tiger and hidden dragon¨,Zhang Zyi(memories of a geisha),bring us a new exciting film. Zhang Yimou makes the ultimate martial arts masterpiece.Spellbound struggles images illuminate the full-blown adventures of trio protagonist. Colorful chop-socky big budget with battles stunningly staged and groundbreaking production design. Eye-popping cinematography is specially reflected on breathtaking outdoors and luxurious interiors and overwhelming costumes. Fascinating gowns by Japan designer Emi Wada based on Tang dynasty. Riveting and atmospheric score with oriental sounds by Umebayashi. The motion picture was nominated to Academy award 2005 to the best cinematography and nominated to Golden Globe to the best foreigner film. The film is dedicated to the memory of Anita Moui. Rating :Astounding and awesome.

How much you enjoy "House of Flying Daggers" may depend strongly on how familiar you are of martial arts films as well as how accepting you are of the clichés in the genre. Some things in the film are utterly ridiculous and if you are the type who thinks too much, then you'll probably not be so impressed. For example, the film has one of the more familiar silly themes in Asian films (both Chinese and Japanese)--the blind warrior who is able to defeat practically anyone. Sure, there is a twist to it in this film, but the idea of a blind person being a master with the sword is pretty nutty. Also, the daggers that fly in this film defy every possible law of physics. So, you just have to accept this or your head might explode. And finally, only in a martial arts film can anyone fight on after having a bazillion fatal injuries (see "Throne of Blood" to see the ultimate scene like this).

The story, however, is wonderful and provided you can let yourself just sit back and absorb it all, you are in for a treat. Rarely have I seen a more exquisitely filmed movie. The use of birch trees and bamboo is amazingly artistic--as are the Fall colors. Also, the musical score is lovely and works so very well with the visual aesthetics. As far as the swordplay, martial arts and the like, it's also amazing--and light-years ahead of the wonderful old Shaw Brothers spectacles (which were great for their time). Overall, a real treat--a film full of excitement, romance and artistry. Well worth your time.

Zhang Yimou set a new benchmark for martial arts movies with Hero. Visually both inventive and dazzling, whilst having a strong thematic thread, it still managed to kick ass, with energetic fight sequences. He continues in the same vein with House of Flying Daggers, with love and romance replacing Hero's chivalry and honour. It is at times as blisteringly exciting and exquisite to view, but there are a few problems.

Set in a similar time to Hero, the plot revolves around the mysterious House of Flying Daggers, a group of assassins leading a rebellion of sorts, against the rulers of their land. News has reached the local military captain Leo (Andy Lau) that the leader of the House can be found plying their trade in the local brothel. Sensing that this could be the key to ending their resistance he sends one of his men, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to infiltrate the establishment posing as a customer. This soon leads him to the beautiful blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi), who may just be the daughter of the assassinated former leader of the House. What follows is his journey with edit her, through forests and meadows, as he vies to gain her trust, all the while intent on leading the army to their destination in an attempt to discover the leader of the House.

The plot is actually far more complicated than my short synopsis could come close to. We are treated to a twisty turny adventure, punctuated with set pieces of (excuse the tired terminology) balletic grace. Yimou sets a number of scenes within symmetrically perfect backgrounds, the picture set up like a work of art. We find ourselves in a dance hall encircled with drums, where the camera moves with a sense of fluidity, as though part of the dance, as we see Mei play a game of "echoes" with the Captain. Each time he hits a drum with a flicked nut, she follows, striking it with her flowing robes. The scene has a steady tempo, finally hitting a crescendo as the whole bowl is flung, nuts flying everywhere like missiles striking every drum. The sound of each strike reverberates like thunder.

For me the other set pieces never quite match the "echo" dance for majesty, rhythm or look. We get to see numerous showdowns between, with Mei and Jin taking on the soldiers that chase them, all the while with Jin trying to maintain his cover. The fights very much feel like a dance, and are filled with POV shots of arrows, sharpened bits of wood and of course flying daggers. I thought this camera trick felt overused, it looks good, but eventually started to feel tired as yet another dagger is seen boomeranging into action.

As events reach a climax, the plot gets pretty messy, as revelation after revelation is thrown about. In contrast to Hero's coda, where the action became about what's doing right for the good of the whole country, House of Flying Daggers has one of a more personal nature. It never quite rings true, there just isn't the emotion on display for this to work. The final act is somewhat botched, with a "it's over, no it isn't" feel to it, which caused a few "no ways" to be uttered in my vicinity. It is yet another gloriously shot scene, but we'd already seen some extraordinary moments. I felt it seemed to be reaching a more natural conclusion, and with a bit of editing a tighter last half hour would've made this a classic.

As it stands House of Flying Daggers is a fine movie, never quite as good as Hero, and probably behind Crouching Tiger too, and maybe it goes on a bit too long, but it's far superior to most of the formulaic actioners Hollywood produces. Out of ten, I'd give it an eight.

After absolutely loving 'Hero', I couldn't wait for Zhang Yimou's latest Wuxia Pien feature to arrive on DVD. After watching it, I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed, as it is another sumptuous, stylistic feature, which deserves all the accolades it is likely to receive.

The plot of the film is told in a more linear narrative when compared to that of 'Hero', but that is not to say it is any more straightforward. Set in the Tang Dynasty, the basic premise is nothing to write home about, featuring government officials on the trail of an underground rebel alliance 'The House of Flying Daggers'. However, there is enough characterisation and depth to hold your attention, while the (sometimes predictable) plot twists keep you guessing. Unfortunately, there is nothing entirely new about this story and it's probably familiar ground to fans of the wuxia genre. Nevertheless, it flows at a decent pace and is punctuated with enough stylistic action sequences that the 2-hour running time is quickly exhausted.

As with Yimou's impressive previous feature, Tony Ching Siu-tung takes over the action direction, producing another sterling performance. In my opinion, he is currently the top fight choreographer around after spending so many years being considered second fiddle to the likes of Yuen Wo-ping and Sammo Hung; he now deserves to be considered above them on his current output. In this instance, much of the overt stylisation evident in Hero is played down in favour of more grounded, natural martial artistry. There is still plenty of wire work and a spattering of CGI to aid the sequences, however, it is plain to see that much of the action displayed is a mix of genuine swordplay and actual technique. All the performers acquit themselves well considering none of them are formally trained in martial arts – especially Zhang Ziyi who performs impressively from start to finish.

As you would expect from a Zhang Yimou film, the visuals are majestic, with primary colours and panoramic landscapes making up much of what we see. Unfortunately, many people do not seem to take to this artistic approach, and will label the film another case of style over substance. I would disagree, as I believe it contains plenty of both with a strong cast, interesting characters and high quality action to provide the foundation for the kind of bold, sumptuous visuals, which are rare to find in modern film.

Overall, I personally prefer 'Hero' but know of plenty who would disagree. As a result, I recommend it as a definite purchase to any fan of films from this genre.

From Yimou Zhang, the director of Jet Li's Hero and Raise the Red Lantern, comes a spectacular tale about honor, and love.

House of Flying Daggers is the gripping, touching, and visually spectacular tale of two people, caught in a Romeo and Juliet story, and the nation at war they must fight together.

It is near the end of the Tang Dynasty era, and The Captain Jin (Kaneshiro) and Leo (Lau) tangle with Mei (Zhang), a dancer suspected of having ties to a revolutionary faction known as the House of Flying Daggers. Enraptured by her, the deputies concoct a plan to save her from capture, and Jin leads her north in what becomes a perilous journey into the unknown.

The dialogue, beautifully bright costumes, and landscapes will take you on a wonderful journey. A journey of dance, music, and beautiful words.

There may be some unanswered questions at the end of the movie and yet I'd watch this film over and over again just to witness the use of costumes, the martial arts skill and how they blend to make a very palatable story. Those who are trashing this film do so senselessly. The films' lovebirds are throughly attractive but not at all bland and you root for them because they appear to belong together; they have a natural chemistry which can be difficult for two actors to have. As can be the case in Asian films, like the recent hit "Hero", the costumes and the use of color are important characters all by themselves. So many elements come together beautifully that what's also ironic is the that film could easily be a stage play. I enjoyed this immensely. Just awe-inspiring!

The Tang Dynasty is weak and the House of Flying Daggers rebels have been stealing from the rich to give to the poor. The rebel leader has recently been killed. Local deputies Captain Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are ordered to kill the new leader within ten days. Jin goes to be a client to the new blind dancer Mei (Zhang Ziyi) who is suspected to be the previous leader's daughter. Leo comes in to arrest both Jin and Mei. Jin breaks her out of prison hoping she would lead him to the House of Flying Daggers.

There is no doubt that this is a visual delight. It is beautifully shot. There is a bit too much melodrama for me. I don't feel any connection to the love triangle. It takes over the movie and saps away my attention. It gets awkward and I stop caring. I can do without the convoluted soap opera but the movie is still very beautiful. In fact, the movie never stops looking beautiful even as the story grinds to a halt.

I have never, ever seen a film that the West has ever created that can top Chinese cinema in this form, with the exception possibly being Lord of the Rings. I truly applaud Oriental taste. I can't count the number of times I have completely forgotten that I've actually got my own physical form while watching films like House of Flying Daggers, but I can count how many times that's happened during Western films: zero.

For those of you who have no taste I beg you: but aside your views on gravity-defying fight scenes and subtitles. Just remember that this is something called FANTASY. It isn't real, no matter how much you wish it to be. It's called cinema: you can do whatever the hell you like in film. I don't complain when you've got aliens that spurt out your chest. I don't complain when the dead rise from their graves. I don't complain about the lack of reason behind the ideas that aliens would have less intelligence than humans or that the living dead would harbour grudges against the really living. I complain when it just looks simply uninspiring and frankly visually boring.

So, Zhang Yimou, please bring on more heroes and flying daggers

"House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)" shows they can make movies like that anymore. This is a grand action love story that fully captures the eye and the heart, the pulse and ears. Yes, an action flick can be a date movie!

While building on the Wu-Xia tradition of literature and film that's as much historical fantasy as any rollicking Dumas adventure or the "Lord of the Rings" films, director Yimou Zhang incorporates elements we have seen elsewhere into a freshly thrilling experience.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had a more sophisticated plot, but this one's twisty enough in the ever more duplicitous spies/hunter and the hunted vein.

It has a lot of plot similarities to another Ziyi Zhang-starrer, the drama of 1930's war intrigue "Purple Butterfly (Zi hudie)," minus the political lessons.

From Japanese films there's borrowing from the "Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman" legends as well as almost as much from Kurasawa's "Hidden Fortress" that Lucas did for the "Star Wars" saga, and then borrowing forest fighting imagery from Lucas to an open meadow as magical as in "The Wizard of Oz."

"The Matrix" movies may have wowed us more with "bullet time" plus there is a lot of following arrow trajectories as in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," not coincidentally as the titular rebels are stealing from the rich to benefit the poor, but the context of the weapons for Siu-Tung Ching's martial arts choreography are more varied and emotional.

Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" is only a bit more over the top than the beautiful production design and elaborate costumes in this Peony Pavilion, but every inch of the screen and soundtrack is as operatically filled and should be experienced on a large screen.

The director's own "Hero (Ying xiong)" is more beautiful as this is missing cinematographer Christopher Doyle's aesthetics but Xiaoding Zhao's cinematographical debut captures a breathtaking variety of landscapes in straightforward storytelling. The sound design is as important, with lots of heavy breathing from tension and exertion.

While it's a much smaller cast than sweeping epics like "Dr. Zhivago," "Titanic" or "Gone With the Wind," it has that swept away feel of a love story amidst larger forces, even if for much of the movie its the force of nature of the geography of Ukraine and a bamboo forest national park, which forcefully reminded me of an elementary school unit my son's class did on how bamboo is stronger than steel.

"Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Tian di ying xiong)" showed that spectacular scenery can be a backdrop for a pedestrian movie. But like "Hero," the enormous canvas is background for zooming in on three enormously charismatic actors in a passionate and unexpectedly tricky love triangle.

Ziyi Zhang needs to watch someone other than Mary Pickford, especially some Susan Sarandon or Jeanne Moreau, to learn that there's more levels in projecting romance than smoldering ratcheting right up to jump his bones, but one has to make some allowances as this is the first as sexy as this Chinese movie and the romance does recall pre-Code Hollywood. Her beautiful shoulders are used quite provocatively.

Takeshi Kaneshiro is ravishingly captivating but Andy Lau gives him a run for your heart in surprises that revolve around the unusual plot point of a woman's willingness being paramount, which is refreshing and adds suspense and emotion to the story.

The closing Kathleen Battle song is a bit over the top, as the music throughout verges on schmaltzy as it shamelessly reinforces what you see and hear, but you are left gasping if not weeping at the end anyway.

I guess having this movie out just a few months after the U.S. release of "Hero" was more than many moviegoers could chew (and you can see it in the reviews here). That takes away from a fantastic experience. Every frame of this film is exquisite. It was breathtaking scene after breathtaking scene. There are enough plot twist, double crossings and romance to keep the scenes between the action sequences interesting. Ziyi Zhang plays her best role of what I call now a trilogy (which includes "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Hero" and now "House Of Flying Daggers" -the best of the three). It's not Yimou Zhang's best movie, that'd be "Raise The Red Lantern", but it's proof this director is on a roll. Go see this movie without worry.

Treading merrily along the path of Hollywoodization (pardon my expression) started in Ying Xiong, director Zhang Yimou turned out another equally meticulously crafted product, Shi Mian Mai Fu, which was showcased to the world in the 2004 Cannes 'out of competition' category.

Meticulously crafted, SMMF starts by giving the audience an exceptional feast of the ear, putting them in a blind person's POV (or maybe I should say POH, 'H' for hearing). The duel of drums scene is brilliant. As if that is not enough, we are treated to another feast of sounds, this time the thundering hoofs and clashing weapon in the pursuit and attack of the blind girl.

Even more meticulously crafted is the color display. A top-notch cinematographer (Yellow Earth (1984)) before a director, Zhang does not appear to be able to tolerate anything that falls short of atheistic perfection. Although not as blatantly as in Ying Xiong, he exhibits here a color display that is equally dazzling. The landscape in the first couple of scenes is in mellowed brown, yellow and pale green. Then come the lush green hills and the dreamy world of the bamboo forest. Towards the end, we have a white birth forest and, for no apparent reason, are given a frame of only two seconds of a fiery stretch of fall colors. In the finale, the ominous dark clouds eventually produce a winter wonderland, to receive profuse splashes of crimson blood.

Crafted sight and sound is great, but over-crafted script and story is where SMMF falls down. In the show that I attended, the audience burst out in a clearly audible expression of mirth where none was intended by the script. I do recognize that this was due in part to the fact that they know Andy Lau too well. But then, some of the things were thrust at the audience so abruptly that I think their reaction is forgivable.

In a nutshell, Flying Dagger is no Crouching Tiger as Zhang Yimou lacks the heart, soul and sensitivity of Ang Lee. I remember watching a TV interview of Zhang a couple of years ago, when he intimated something to the effect that making movie is a market-driven affair and if the (global) market wants it, he'll make it. Well, he is at least honest about the whole thing and he did make Ying Xiong. But I do miss director Zhang's earlier work: Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, Qiu Ju Goes to Court, Living, Not One Less, My Father and Mother.

One final point of no particular consequence. Shi Mian Mai Fu (literal translation 'Ambushed on Ten Sides') is the best known piece of music for the lute-like pipa. I notice that three or four bars from the piece are featured in the background music, at the point when the blind girl's true identity is revealed.

Thank goodness it didn't get the Golden Globe....would have been SUCH an embarrassment if it did.

As someone who was staggered at the incredible visuals of "Hero," I was anxious to see this film which was billed as being along the same lines, but better. It also featured an actress I like: Ziyi Zhang. Well, I was disappointed on both counts. I bought the DVD of this film sight-unseen, and that was a mistake. It was not better.

I realize these flying-through-the-air martial arts films are pure fantasy but this story is stretched so far past anything remotely believable it just made me shake my head in disappointing disbelief. A blind woman defeating hundreds of opponents? Sorry, that's going a little far. Also, the major male character 'Jin" (Takeshi Kaneshiro) was so annoying with his dialog, stupid look on his face and stupid laugh, that he ruined the film, too.

Despite the wonderful colors and amazing action scenes, this story - to me - just didn't have an appeal to make it a movie worth owning. This film is no "Hero" of mine!

Even though 'House Of Flying Daggers (2004)', essentially, has a female protagonist, it doesn't do a great job in terms of her representation. She's purported to be the baddest of the bad, the best of the best, a blind girl who can still kick butt and take names, but she's always being saved by men - despite handling herself fairly well in the moments leading up to her rescues - and never has any real agency. Both male leads attempt to rape her, too, which is made all the more disturbing once you realise that they're supposed to be genuine romantic interests. Even outside of these issues, the film isn't exactly riveting. It takes a number of detours simply to slot in superfluous, if well-choreographed, fight-scenes and doesn't really amount to much other than its final confrontation - which doesn't need as much build up as it gets. The plot is also overly complex, featuring an incredible number of late-game twists which pile up on each other and don't all stand up to scrutiny. Most people talk about the visuals when they praise the piece; it's colourful and feels almost mythic. However, these alone don't make for a compelling viewing experience. It isn't really engaging and you don't really care about the characters. It may look the part, but that's about it. 5/10

With his first martial arts film, Ying Xiong, art director Yimou Zhang came extremely close to perfection and, in fact, if one were to label that film 'perfect', they wouldn't be wrong. It is customary to try and top everything that you do, however, and Zhang has tried to take his first movie and make it bigger and better, with mixed results. Ying Xiong worked principally because its action sequences were startling and its plot was thick enough to ensure that we were always interested in what's going on. The action scenes in this film are at least as stunning as they were in the last, but it's the plot that suffers. Probably in order to shock and surprise, Yimou has littered the action with a heap of twists and turns, and as you see the story that you've been buying into for the last hour disintegrate in front of you; it doesn't give you a lot of confidence for the film. Unlike the tight plotting of Ying Xiong, House of Flying Daggers is much more expansive, and if follows a dispute between the government ruled state and a band of fighters calling themselves 'The House of Flying Daggers'.

The action in the film is a visual treat. Yimou Zhang artfully executed set-pieces are great to watch and really stick one finger up at the CGI laded Hollywood movies of the same ilk. While they're not exactly realistic, with many of the characters doing things that just aren't physically possible, it doesn't matter because these sequences are clearly in the movie only to impress the audience on a style level. Yimou's use of colour in the movie is awesome, with some very striking reds and greens helping to complete a full assault on the senses. As mentioned though, this is all well and good but Yimou hasn't been able to find a plot to adequately string it together with. He's most probably paid too much attention to the high praise he got for Ying Xiong's more stylish aspects and decided that's more important. The pace of the plotting is off, with the opening of the final third making the film ground to an welcome halt. The interaction between the characters isn't all that interesting either, and that also helps to bring the film down. On the whole, while this movie is still 'good', it's not the masterpiece that Ying Xiong was; and it's the lack of plot that accounts for that.

Since Crouching Tiger, Zhang Yimou has made two attempts at cashing-in. What was wrong with his previous work such as Happy Times, The Road Home and Raise the Red Lantern to force such a radical digression? Oh, yes, silly me – the money, of course.

The House of Flying Daggers is better than Zhang's previous attempt at bastardisation, but not much. Like Hero, it has an interesting set up, but fails in the execution, due to a now-familiar obsession with style over substance. Two government retainers plot to ambush a rebel group (House of Flying Daggers). They organise an escape for a Flying Dagger prisoner (the beautiful Zhang Ziyi), and one of their number (the beautiful Takeshi Kaneshiro) accompanies her "back to base" as her rescuer. En route, he falls for her, leading to conflict with his compatriot (the menacing Andy Lau) who harbours a great secret. There is lots and lots of fighting, some frolicking and, if you're into that kind of thing (I know I am) Zhang Ziyi gets ravished at least four times.

In truth, this potted summary does little justice to a plot that twists and turns like a conger eel, desperately pointing out to the head chef that its tank mates are both healthier and fatter. And, indeed, there do appear to be bigger fish in the sea.

The film looks lush all right (I hesitate to use the word beautiful, because it has an over-ripe quality which grates after a while). The colours are rich, the movements graceful, and the people are beautiful. Is this soft porn (without the sex) or Wu Xia? Like soft porn, for about the first hour, the audience is left tantalised with the prospect of actually seeing something happening. Unlike porn (or Hero), there's some character development, and the chemistry between the two lead actors is, well, there.

Oh, and Andy Lau frowns a lot. He's very good at it. Much better than Jet Li in fact - and he has a much better reason, given that Jet only had that misunderstanding between the emperor, his mum and dad and a squad of heavily-armed Imperial soldiers to worry about, whereas Andy had Zhang Ziyi.

Aiyah! It might have been good, it really might – there was no nauseating bow-down-and-worship-the-emperor-he-knows-best nonsense we got in Hero, there were good characters, there was an engaging, if not terribly original plot. But why were there so many moments when suspending disbelief was frankly impossible for anyone with more than a rodent intellect?

Firstly, everyone (everyone) had super powers. I'm not kidding; the guy cleaning the squat loo was capable of balancing on top of a bamboo while simultaneously juggling five swords, singing the Red Flag and making a cup of Chah. As for the soldiers, well, phewee! These cats could formation shin down a bamboo while letting off a volley of arrows. They could fly, make a cage out of shot arrows and, well, anything they damn well liked. They probably had explosive poo if the need ever arose. Surely the point of Super Powers (even in Wu Xia) is that only heroes have them. As has been observed on The Incredibles, if everyone is super, then no one is.

Oh well, let's cut out the line by line analysis and move straight to the stinking dénouement. I'll not spoil it for those wishing to see it. But suffice to say that it remains the only tragic ending to a film I have seen in which the audience was rocking in the aisles in not-so-silent hilarity. Operas have been known to have less preposterous endings than this. Shakespeare comedies have more believable ones. I mean it; even the really, really stupid ones. It's like Yimou is playing poker with Ang and saying "I'll match your tragic death scene, and raise it to by another tragic death scene". Promising, but ultimately pointless. 4/10