Power struggles of the elite have been nasty for a long time. In 859 AD, near the end of the Tang Dynasty, this was especially so. Police deputies Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) have successfully eliminated leaders of the rival House of Flying Daggers in short order in the past. Recently they took a month to kill a leader but orders have come down that the new leader must be eliminated in only ten days.

Rumor has it that a key member of the enemy is a showgirl. Jin is a playboy type, attracted to the pleasures of a house of a different sort, whose featured dancer is Mei (Ziyi Zhyang), who is beautiful and blind. When Leo admonishes Jin for his flirtatious ways and is about to arrest Mei, the Madam pleads for his forgiveness, which he will provide if Mei is able to perform the mesmerizing Echo Game. The dance begins and soon morphs into a near deadly game of flying daggers that take your breath away with artistry and majesty.

Not only is Mei arrested, she is about to be tortured until Jin breaks her out of prison. Or is that all part of the plot to find the hiding place of the Flying Daggers? The plan between Jin and Leo is that Jin will pretend to desire Mei. To keep it real, soldiers follow them and sometimes try a little too hard to kill them. As the journey continues, Leo fears that Jin could really fall for Mei, which would lead to a Shakespearean type tragedy. Mei appears to care for Jin but does she? Is Leo who he really appears to be? The complexity of the love story, the visual effects, action that is close to non stop, combined with political motivations elevates this film to a level that makes it easy to understand why China selected this as their official choice for the 2004 Academy Awards, Foreign Language film category.

The cinematography is unarguably the best of the year as the colors and architecture, costumes and props literally fill every inch of the screen with something that demands your attention.

George’s Take: Yimou Zhang is one of my favorite directors ("Raise the Red Lantern," "Ju Do" and more recently, "Hero"). He often uses Ziyi Zhang (best known for "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" CTHD) who he also directed in the melodramatic tearjerker "The Road Home." This film has many positives to recommend it, Ziyi’s acting, and magnificent photography being the most important. Fun aspects include the forbidden love story, a "come back from the dead" scene of a lover with the attitude, "if I can’t have you, no one can," and a one-on-one battle that lasts long enough for the weather to change (a lot).

Pam’s Take: I think the love story is stronger than in CTHD ¾ actually, the entire story line is stronger ¾ although it is an oversized soap opera in many aspects. The cinematography is truly gorgeous. For sure, this is best appreciated on the big screen.