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IMDbPro

House of Flying Daggers

Original title: Shi mian mai fu
  • 20042004
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
113K
YOUR RATING
Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
Trailer for House of Flying Daggers
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureDrama
A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.A romantic police captain breaks a beautiful member of a rebel group out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
113K
YOUR RATING
    • Yimou Zhang
    • Feng Li
    • Bin Wang
    • Yimou Zhang
  • Stars
    • Ziyi Zhang
    • Takeshi Kaneshiro
    • Andy Lau
    • Yimou Zhang
    • Feng Li
    • Bin Wang
    • Yimou Zhang
  • Stars
    • Ziyi Zhang
    • Takeshi Kaneshiro
    • Andy Lau
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 450User reviews
    • 249Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    House of Flying Daggers
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch House of Flying Daggers

    Photos288

    Takeshi Kaneshiro and Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Takeshi Kaneshiro in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    cp: 2004 Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
    Takeshi Kaneshiro in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau in House of Flying Daggers (2004)
    Takeshi Kaneshiro in House of Flying Daggers (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ziyi Zhang
    Ziyi Zhang
    • Xiao Mei
    • (as Zhang Ziyi)
    Takeshi Kaneshiro
    Takeshi Kaneshiro
    • Jin
    Andy Lau
    Andy Lau
    • Leo
    Dandan Song
    Dandan Song
    • Yee
    Hongfei Zhao
    • Performer
    Jun Guo
    • Performer
    Shu Zhang
    • Performer
    Jiusheng Wang
    Jiusheng Wang
    • Performer
    Zhengyong Zhang
    • Performer
    Yongxin Wang
    • Performer
    Dong Liu
    • Performer
    Qi Zi
    • Performer
    Xuedong Qu
    • Performer
    Liping Tian
    • Performer
    Hongwei Zhao
    • Performer
    Weina Huang
    • Performer
    Dan Ge
    • Performer
    Xiadong Yang
    • Performer
    • (as Yang Xiaodong)
      • Yimou Zhang
      • Feng Li
      • Bin Wang
      • Yimou Zhang
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The climactic fight scene was filmed in the Ukraine. It snowed so early (October) that it caught the filmmakers by surprise, as they had already started filming. They decided to change the script and the movie so that it would appear almost as if this epic battle began during the fall and ended during winter. Yimou Zhang was very happy with how it turned out because it set the perfect tone and obviously highlighted the blood spilled on the snow.
    • Goofs
      Before Jin and Mei are trapped by the bamboo spears they are standing among hundreds of short bamboo spears pierced into the ground as a trap. When the soldiers get killed by The Flying Daggers and fall down to the ground, the short bamboo spears are all gone.
    • Quotes

      Jin: Just call me Wind.

      Mei: Wind?

      Jin: I wander around all alone, come and go without a trace.

      Mei: Like a carefree wind?

      Jin: No, a playful wind.

    • Crazy credits
      The Chinese theatrical release has a Chinese translation of the ending song (which has lyrics in English) on the left side of the screen during the credits.
    • Alternate versions
      The US version has blood reduced or digitally painted out of some of the fight scenes in order to secure a PG-13 rating.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Best Films of 2004 (2005)
    • Soundtracks
      Beauty Song (Jia Ren Qu)
      Written by Li Yannian

      Performed by Ziyi Zhang

    User reviews450

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Following on from HERO with another visually arresting feature...
    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.
    helpful•131
    42
    • tpr007
    • Nov 20, 2004

    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the British BBFC 15 Version and the Uncensored Version? Is the PG-13 Version uncensored?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 14, 2005 (United States)
      • China
      • Hong Kong
    • Official sites
      • Bim Distribuzione (Italy)
      • Official site (Russia)
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Kossiv National Park, Ukraine
    • Production companies
      • Beijing New Picture Film
      • China Film Co-Production Corporation
      • Edko Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 59 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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