| Photos (see all 32 | slideshow) | Videos |
Directed by | |||
| Yimou Zhang | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Feng Li | writer | |
| Bin Wang | writer | |
| Yimou Zhang | writer | |
Produced by | |||
| William Kong | .... | producer | |
| Weiping Zhang | .... | executive producer | |
| Yimou Zhang | .... | producer | |
| Zhenyan Zhang | .... | associate producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Shigeru Umebayashi | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Xiaoding Zhao | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Long Cheng | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Tingxiao Huo | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Zhong Han | (supervising art director) | ||
| Bin Zhao | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Emi Wada | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Siu-Mui Chau | .... | chief hair stylist (as Chau Siu Mui) | |
| Lee-na Kwan | .... | chief makeup artist (as Lee Na Kwan) | |
| Shui Niu | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Yang Ruo | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Yang Xiaohai | .... | chief makeup artist | |
| Ge Xiufang | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
| Diu Zhijuan | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Tianhui Ge | .... | unit manager | |
| Larissa Khaliapina | .... | unit manager: Ukraine (as Larysa Khalyapina) | |
| Wenhua Ma | .... | assistant production supervisor | |
| Lu Sen | .... | unit manager | |
| Huang Xinmin | .... | assistant production supervisor (as Huang Xinming) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Xiaoyang Chang | .... | assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Huo Depeng | .... | assistant property master | |
| Yi Ho | .... | property master (as Yi Hou) | |
| Zhongquan Hu | .... | set dresser | |
| Mu Ke | .... | assistant property master | |
| Bao-Tai Li | .... | assistant property master (as Li Baotai) | |
| Shaochun Liu | .... | special props | |
| Marco Nero | .... | matte painter | |
| Guo Hong Sheng | .... | assistant property master | |
| Xu Xiaolong | .... | assistant property master | |
Sound Department | |||
| Steve Burgess | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Chris Goodes | .... | sound editing assistant | |
| Alex Gordon | .... | adr recordist | |
| Cao Huijun | .... | location sound assistant | |
| Vic Kaspar | .... | sound editor | |
| Jo Mion | .... | sound editor | |
| Andrew Neil | .... | re-recording mix assistant | |
| Andrew Neil | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Glenn Newnham | .... | sound editor | |
| Paul Pirola | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Roger Savage | .... | sound mixer | |
| Roger Savage | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Roger Savage | .... | sound supervisor | |
| Blair Slater | .... | foley recordist | |
| Jing Tao | .... | sound | |
| Mario Vaccaro | .... | foley artist | |
| Niu Zeliang | .... | location sound assistant | |
| Zhigang Zhang | .... | first sound assistant | |
| Gina Nuccio | .... | additional adr editor (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Lindsay Adams | .... | digital compositor | |
| Charlie Armstrong | .... | digital compositor | |
| Vaughn Arnup | .... | digital compositor | |
| Mark Barber | .... | digital compositor | |
| Jason Billington | .... | digital compositor | |
| Roger Bolton | .... | digital compositor | |
| David Booth | .... | visual effects | |
| Kent Boswell | .... | visual effects production manager: Fuel | |
| Dan Breckwoldt | .... | digital compositor | |
| Andy Brown | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Paul Buckley | .... | animator: Digital Pictures Iloura | |
| Sam Cole | .... | compositing supervisor: Fuel | |
| Chris Davies | .... | digital compositor | |
| Jonathan Dixon | .... | digital liaison | |
| Clinton Downs | .... | digital artist | |
| Bryn Farrelly | .... | digital compositor | |
| Siggy Ferstl | .... | digital intermediate colorist: Digital Pictures | |
| Morgane Furio | .... | Inferno compositor | |
| Darrin Hanley | .... | digital compositor | |
| David Hansen | .... | CG artist | |
| Mick Harkin | .... | digital compositor | |
| Mark Harmon | .... | digital grading | |
| Jason Hawkins | .... | video operations technician | |
| Jamie Hediger | .... | digital compositor | |
| Michelle Hunt | .... | digital compositor | |
| Bhakar James | .... | senior animator: Animal Logic | |
| Krista Jordan | .... | senior compositor | |
| Angie Lam | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Stefan Litterini | .... | digital artist: Animal Logic | |
| Ineke Majoor | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Keith Meure | .... | rotoscope artist | |
| Kirsty Millar | .... | visual effects supervisor: Animal Logic | |
| Naomi Mitchell | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Nick Monton | .... | digital compositor | |
| Nick Monton | .... | digital intermediate supervisor: Digital Pictures | |
| David Mosqueda | .... | digital compositor | |
| Nick Murphy | .... | video operations technician | |
| Mark Nettleton | .... | senior compositor | |
| Matthew North | .... | digital compositor | |
| Jongsu Oh | .... | digital artist: Animal Logic | |
| Murray Pope | .... | visual effects executive producer | |
| Glen Pratt | .... | digital compositor | |
| Paul Raeburn | .... | digital compositor | |
| Danielle Rubin | .... | visual effects production manager | |
| Evan Shipard | .... | digital matte painter/compositor | |
| Nathan Stone | .... | animator | |
| Robert Sullivan | .... | video operations supervisor: Animal Logic | |
| Paul Taylor | .... | video operations technician | |
| Ian Watson | .... | visual effects artist | |
| Peter Webb | .... | digital compositor | |
| Eddy Wong | .... | visual effects supervisor: Mendfond | |
| Victor Wong | .... | visual effects supervisor: Mendfond | |
| Bryce Brecheisen | .... | visual effects coordinator (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Xia Bin | .... | stunts | |
| Zhan Bo | .... | stunts | |
| Chuanyong Cheng | .... | stunts | |
| Ou Chengwei | .... | stunts | |
| Shi Feng | .... | stunts | |
| Zhong Feng | .... | stunts | |
| Xiang Gao | .... | stunts (as Gao Xiang) | |
| Fei Goa | .... | stunts | |
| Cao Hua | .... | stunts | |
| Li Lei | .... | stunts | |
| Zhu Shaojie | .... | stunts | |
| Li Wei | .... | stunts | |
| Zheng Xin Xin | .... | stunts | |
| Hu Yan | .... | stunts | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Xiaoyan Bai | .... | still photographer | |
| Guan Fei | .... | camera grip | |
| Xu Tie Gong | .... | electrician | |
| Huangpu Honghao | .... | generator operator | |
| Zhu Huilong | .... | camera grip | |
| Jianmin Ji | .... | lighting designer | |
| Raymond Lam | .... | camera operator | |
| Raymond Lam | .... | director of photography: "b" unit | |
| Raymond Lam | .... | steadicam operator | |
| Wang Liam | .... | camera grip | |
| Wang Lihong | .... | gaffer | |
| Sun Xin Shang | .... | electrician | |
| Cao Shuiqiang | .... | electrician | |
| Cao Tongan | .... | electrician | |
| Li Xuebo | .... | electrician | |
| Jiandong Yu | .... | electrician | |
| Jin-Di Zhu | .... | assistant camera (as Zhu Jindi) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Bao-Rong Huang | .... | wardrobe supervisor (as Huang Baorong) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Leo Bahas | .... | negative matcher | |
| Olivier Fontenay | .... | film and digital color grader | |
| Bin Li | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Mark Franken | .... | music editor | |
Other crew | |||
| Xu Aidong | .... | production assistant | |
| Xu Bin | .... | second production assistant | |
| Amealy Go Chan | .... | massage therapist | |
| Cynthia Chang | .... | assistant: Mr. Kaneshiro | |
| John Charles | .... | software engineer: Sony DAC | |
| Siu-Tung Ching | .... | action choreographer | |
| Julian Chiu | .... | second production assistant | |
| Zhao Danian | .... | production assistant | |
| Ni Guanche | .... | second production assistant | |
| Li Haoxue | .... | catering assistant | |
| Zhang Hui | .... | interpreter | |
| Du Jian | .... | second production assistant | |
| Wang Jianguo | .... | second production assistant | |
| Wenrui Jia | .... | caterer | |
| Zheng Jie | .... | dancer | |
| Du Jin | .... | interpreter | |
| Gao Ke | .... | production assistant | |
| Cai Li | .... | martial arts coordinator | |
| Qiang Li | .... | choreographer | |
| Mingna Liu | .... | accountant | |
| Maria Lo Orzel | .... | creative consultant | |
| Zheng Lu | .... | dancer | |
| Stanley J. Orzel | .... | creative consultant | |
| Zhang Rui | .... | cashier | |
| Zhao Shufen | .... | accountant | |
| Wu Weifeng | .... | dancer | |
| Lang Xiaowei | .... | accountant | |
| Xiaoshun Xu | .... | location production assistant | |
| Wang Yabin | .... | dancer | |
| Hong Yan | .... | cashier | |
| Li Yan | .... | assistant: Ms. Zhang | |
| Li Yanlong | .... | catering assistant | |
| Yan Yan | .... | dancer | |
| Alice Yeung | .... | production coordinator | |
| Fan Yexin | .... | catering assistant | |
| Xiao Yinqian | .... | production assistant | |
| Mao Yun | .... | catering assistant | |
| Shi Zeyi | .... | production assistant | |
| Jianmin Zhang | .... | choreographer | |
Thanks | |||
| Philip Lee | .... | special thanks | |
| Anita Mui | .... | dedicatee | |
| Yatming Tang | .... | special thanks (as Tang Yat Ming) | |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| Ying xiong | Wo hu cang long | Batman Begins | Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia | The Phantom of the Opera |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb China section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
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 Hosukai. 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.