House of Flying Daggers (2004)

- Shi mian mai fu
"Just call me Wind.", 13 July 2008

Sometimes after watching a movie, I'm at a complete loss for words. Sometimes there's just so much I want to write that I'm afraid to even attempt it for fear of leaving things out or not expressing my thoughts as clearly as I would like. That's the case with House of Flying Daggers. The movie is so . . . well, the movie is so perfect that I doubt I could ever do it justice. To say I was overwhelmed by the movie's plot, acting, and direction would be a gross understatement. The plot drew me in from the word "go". All of the many twists and turns worked flawlessly on me. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. As for the acting, all three of the main actors were perfect in their roles. It's hard to pick a favorite between Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, and Ziyi Zhang – though I suppose Ziyi Zhang as the blind warrior was the most impressive. This is the first movie by director Yimou Zhang that I've seen, but it won't be the last. Not only does he keep things flowing at a wonderful pace, but he's made a movie that has to be one of the most beautiful works of art I've ever seen. I would love to freeze and print almost every frame of House of Flying Daggers to hang on my walls. Stunning is the word that comes to mind.

I'll end here realizing that I'm leaving a lot out like a plot description (I wouldn't want to ruin a second for someone else). To sum it all up, House of Flying Daggers is easily one of the very best movies I've ever seen. A 10/10 isn't good enough for it.

10/10

The Heroic Trio (1993)

- Dung fong saam hap
Mixes elements of fantasy in places I hadn't expected, 14 March 2008

Trying to come up with a pithy plot description for something like The Heroic Trio is all but impossible. The plot simply cannot be explained in a few short sentences. So I'll go with a very general plot description realizing I'm leaving a lot out – An evil demon is kidnapping male babies in hopes of finding the next Emperor of China. He hopes to use that baby to help him take over the world. Three competing female super heroes must put aside their differences and work together to defeat the demon.

The Heroic Trio is like a comic book come to life. It has an almost dreamlike feel to much of it mixing elements of fantasy in places I hadn't expected. In fact, I was shocked to discover it's probably more fantasy than martial arts. It's quite an unusual narrative style that, as a Westerner, I'm not overly familiar with. Fortunately, I was able to just go with it and enjoy it. It's not too difficult though as director Johnny To filled The Heroic Trio with some amazing images. The flying motorcycle at the train station, the first descent into the underworld, and Michelle Yeoh's dance with the demon are incredibly unique and memorable. Visually, the movie is stunning.

All three of the lead actresses – Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, and Maggie Cheung – are perfect in their roles. At first I was tempted to single Yeoh out for praise, but realized that may have had more to do with my familiarity with her than anything else. All three are outstanding and deserve to be mentioned together.

I'm far from a marital arts expert, but I found the fight scenes, though disappointingly too brief, flawlessly choreographed. Other than the finale, one of my favorites featured Maggie Cheung and an automatic weapon facing off against four hooded assassins. Cool stuff!

There are a few things that could have been different that would have made me enjoy The Heroic Trio even more. It seemed to me that the action and momentum of the movie was broken up far too often by scenes of schmaltzy sentimentality. And what was with the music? I understand the music won some awards, but it's hardly what I would have picked. I suppose that my complaints could be due to my Western sensibilities more than anything. As it is, I found The Heroic Trio an interesting and entertaining experience.

7/10

The Eye (2002)

- Gin gwai
Excellent horror film with a weak ending, 17 December 2005

Mun (Angelica Lee) is a young woman who has been blind since she was two years old. A cornea replacement surgery offers hope of being able to see. But once Mun's vision is restored, she gets more than she bargained for. She is bombarded with images of places and people that don't quite seem right. Mun sees ghosts. But that's not the worst of it. When presented with a picture of herself, Mun realizes that the image in the picture is not the same woman she sees when she looks in the mirror.

The first half or so of The Eye is an incredibly creepy little film. There are moments like the elevator scene or the first time we see what Mun sees in the mirror that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. It's all very nicely handled. But the film switches its narrative tone about half way through much to its detriment. The Eye goes from being a subtle, effective horror film to being a special effects extravaganza. The Pang Brothers appear to have the same problem ending a movie that a lot of Hollywood filmmakers seem to have – if you can't come up with an ending, blow something up. Had the movie ended when Mun discovered the secret of her new eyes, it would have been a better movie and worthy of a higher rating.

The acting in The Eye is as good as I've seen in a modern Asian horror film. I've only seen Angelica Lee in one other film (Koma), but she's quickly become a real favorite of mine. The two roles I've seen her play are vastly different yet Lee handles each in a believable, very enjoyable way.

While The Eye may not be the best Asian horror film I've seen, the first half makes it more than a worthwhile watch. I'm looking forward to getting a chance to see The Eye 2.

7/10