House of Flying Daggers
Short description
Set in ninth-century China during the decline of the Tang dynasty, House of Flying Daggers follows two captains, Jin and Leo, ordered to capture the leader of a rebel faction known as the House of Flying Daggers. Their plan has Jin pose as a lone warrior and break the blind rebel Mei out of prison, hoping she will lead him to the rebels' secret headquarters. As the pair travel together, Jin's feelings for Mei grow and complicate his mission.
Zhang Yimou directed and co-wrote the film, his tenth feature and a follow-up to Hero, with Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles coming next. Takeshi Kaneshiro plays Jin, Andy Lau plays Leo, and Zhang Ziyi plays Mei. The picture was made for about 15 million dollars and took in roughly 93 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget.
On IMDb it holds 7.5 out of 10 from around 119,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.3 from a smaller pool of voters. A critics' rating of 7.9 from 171 reviews places it slightly above both audience scores, indicating solid but not unanimous praise. The film runs 119 minutes and was produced across Hong Kong, mainland China and the United States.
What's left behind the scenes
- Toney Chin was responsible for the fight choreography.
- The decisive battle scene was filmed in Ukraine. Snow fell very early that year (in October), catching the film crew off guard, as filming of the scene had already begun. As a result, it was decided to alter the script and the film so that it would appear as though this epic battle began in autumn and ended in winter. Zhang Yimou was very pleased with how things turned out, as it sets the perfect tone for the scene and deliberately emphasizes the blood spilling onto the snow.
- To prepare for the role, Zhang Ziyi lived with a blind girl for two months.
- Anita Mui was initially invited to play one of the leading roles in the film, which was to be her last role due to a serious illness. However, she died of cancer before a single scene with her participation was filmed. After her death on December 30, 2003, director Zhang Yimou decided to rewrite the script rather than find a replacement actress. The film is dedicated to her memory.
- The original title of the film translates to "Ambush from All Sides." Since flying knives are referred to as throwing knives in the jargon of Chinese martial arts masters, a more accurate translation of the English title is "The Clan of Throwing Knives."
- Initially, Anita Mui was cast in one of the lead roles, which was intended to be her last due to a serious illness, but she passed away before she could film. Director Zhang Yimou decided to change the script rather than find a replacement actress. The film is dedicated to her memory.
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