House of Flying Daggers

2004 1h 59m ZH

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 1,862

AdventureDramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Takeshi Kaneshiro
Jin
Andy Lau
Liu
Zhang Ziyi
Xiao Mei
Song Dandan
Yee
Zhao Hongfei
Xiao Bu Kuai
Guo Jun
Police Officer
Zhang Shu
Wang Jiusheng

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Zhang Yimou
Writers: Feng Li, Wang Bin, Zhang Yimou
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

207+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Editor Cheng Long shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Zhang Yimou directs. Zhao Xiaoding behind the camera. Shigeru Umebayashi scores. Cheng Long cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.2× over at the box office.
2Released 22 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
4207+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Zhang Yimou, shot by Zhao Xiaoding. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Shigeru Umebayashi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cheng Long shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau and Zhang Ziyi carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0385004 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "rebellion", "martial arts", "government", "china".

The technical file

Cinematography: Zhao Xiaoding
Original score: Shigeru Umebayashi
Editing: Cheng Long
Production design: Tingxiao Huo
Costume design: Emi Wada
Makeup / hair: Yang Xiaohai
VFX supervisor: Andy Brown
Sound: Roger Savage
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $92,863,945
Return: 619% of budget
Original language: ZH
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Also by

Zhang Yimou

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-20
★ 7/10
Though the story isn't really very strong here the combination of beautiful visual effects and precision martial arts makes for an enjoyable depiction of Chinese mystical intrigue. "Mei" (Ziyi Zhang) is a mute dancer who attracts the attention of police captain "Jin" (Takeshi Kaneshiro) after she is very nearly raped at the "Peony Palace". She is also arrested but he helps her escape and into the dense forest they head, pursued by the police and fearful of the eponymous freedom fighters who are rumoured to dwell deep amongst the tall bamboo. Of course, as they travel they begin to fall in love but he's not quite ready for the surprise she delivers nor for his response as he must make a choice between his heart and his loyalty. Meantime, there's the jealous "Leo" (Andy Lau) on the scene who is determined to see his love stays with him or nobody! It's the stylish and vibrant look of this adventure that helps it stand out. The perfect choreography of the dances and the combat scenes couples well with some impressive imagery that tests and provokes just about all of our senses as the mystery unravels as easily as the folds in her intricately woven gown. I was slightly disappointed by the denouement which I think might be testament to the performances from the two travellers who managed to ensure I cared what happened to them as they twisted and twirled their way through the imaginatively photographed trees. It certainly benefits from a big screen and from it's big audio, too.

Production companies