House of Flying Daggers | 
 enlarge | Director: Yimou Zhang
Actors: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Dandan Song, Hongfei Zhao
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $1.86
You Save: $13.08 (88%)
New (58) Used (59) Collectible (3) from $1.86
Rating:  321 reviews
Sales Rank: 1757
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: Cantonese (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Published)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 09178
ISBN: 140497010X
UPC: 043396091788
EAN: 9781404970106
ASIN: B0007Q6VXC
Theatrical Release Date: January 14, 2005
Release Date: April 19, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: **NO ARTWORK - NEW BLANK CASE** Guaranteed to play. Normal case wear with stickers, very slight scratches. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
"Prepare your eyes for popping" in this "martial-arts fireball that throws in a lyrical love story headspinning fights and dazzling surprises" (Rolling Stone). "A gorgeous entertainment" (A.O. Scott New York Times). Mei is an exotic beautiful blind dancer associated with a dangerous revolutionary gang known as the House of Flying Daggers. Captured by officers of the decadent Tang Dynasty Mei finds herself both threatened - and attracted - to the most unusual circumstances. Here her heart and loyalties battle each other amid warriors in the treetops and dazzling combat - the likes of which have never before been seen!System Requirements: Running Time 119 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: PG-13 UPC: 043396091788 Manufacturer No: 09178
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| Customer Reviews: Read 316 more reviews...
 The film is enjoyable, but the Blu-Ray transfer is worthless August 24, 2008
C. Wynes (Dyersburg, TN)
This was one of the Blu-Ray discs that I bought at the same time I bought my player, as I was guessing that the vibrant colors of this film would look great in HD. Unfortunately, there is so much film grain that I had to drastically reduce the backlight and the color saturation on my LCD in order to make it less distracting. But this eliminated the primary artistic virtue of the film: its colorful palette. If this had been what Blu-Ray had to offer, I would have returned the player immediately, as I had seen better picture quality from upscaled DVDs and from HD downloads in 720p. Thankfully, I was guided towards "I, Robot" and "Ratatouille" and saw what Blu-Ray really has to offer, and it is worth the price of admission. But the shoddy presentation of "House of Flying Daggers" nearly soured me on the whole experience before I really got started.
I rather enjoyed this film on standard-definition cable TV when I first saw it. The colors are marvelous, the fight scenes are fluid, and the plot is simple but effective. The main character, Wind, is kind of a jerk at first, but he grows on you a little by the end. I would describe the acting as competent, even a bit above-average for what you'd expect. For a foreign language film, we English-speaking viewers need decent acting through facial expressions and body language, and there's enough here to adequately serve the story.
I don't know what equipment was used to shoot this film, but I hope that a great transfer could be done one day when Blu-Ray has settled into its place as the dominant disc format. This is the type of film that has great potential as an HD viewing experience, but it hasn't come close to realizing that quite yet. If you have and enjoy the DVD of this movie, I would recommend against buying the Blu-Ray at this time.
 great July 28, 2008
M. Mackay (ca)
i watch this all the time, it runs great everytime, great quality, nice box. no damages.
the film is Excellent!! July 23, 2008
M. Kelley (Mississippi)
This movie makes the matrix look like a chick flick. The effects and use of bold colors in this film are amazing. Once you get past having to read subtitles, the movie is pure excitement and magic.
 House of Flying zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's July 9, 2008
B. Nallick (Mpls, MN)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Um........BORING!!!
I loved Crouching Tiger, and I loved Hero even more.
I was expecting a brilliant picture like the other two I mentioned but...........BORING!!!
I think I fell asleep twice during the movie. I forced myself to watch it again.
I didn't fall asleep the second time, but I still found the story to be boring, unmemorable and criminally uninteresting.
Thank the gods Curse of the Golden Flower came out, that movie totally smokes this one.
Granted, it may not have as much of the high wire acrobatics of Flying Daggers but the story is so much better than this um......romance.
So what's good about House of Flying Daggers?
It's pretty to look at, and has some great high wire martial effects.
But if you've seen Crouching, or Hero, you've seen it done better with much better stories.
I can't recommend this one except for die hard swords and romance fans.
Not recommended.
Classic! July 4, 2008
ArchAngeL (California, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie is must have for anyone who enjoys great storyline and magnificent special effects and gorgeous background sceneries. IMO, this movie is up to par with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero!
This is must have for Kung Fu movie fanatics like me!
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