Touches You

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

All I knew about this movie was that the action is supposed to be meticulous and beautiful. What I didn't know is so is the story. A twisting, hidden-identities, romantic intrigue twist on the Robin Hood drama, it's a vibrant and beautiful marriage of wonderfully written melodrama and breathtakingly cool excitement...with some truly terrible CGI.

I wanted to see this movie for a while because I do enjoy the style of Wu Xia. I enjoyed Hero, Jade Warrior (although I don't think that can be counted because it's a Chinese/Finnish co-production) and I thought Crouching Tiger was okay. Impressed with Yimou Zhang's work I saw this and I actually think it's better than Hero.The plot is that in around 300BC China has this Robin Hood type group called The House Of Flying Daggers who steals from the rich to give to the poor among other criminal activities. A Soldier named Jin helps capture the former leader's blind daughter (Ziyi Zhang) but he falls in love with her and helps her to escape in order to find The House Of Flying Daggers. However it is an elaborate plot by the Chinese government to find the house and put an end to their criminal activities. However along the way things get more complicated then before.If there is any complaint with this movie it's that some of the twists and turns get very convoluted - I'm not going to reveal them but There is about 5 twists in 5 minutes at one point. It's almost like "Okay, enough!" I mean call it a nitpick but I think this movie could have been a little longer to spread these out.Aside from that I love almost everything else - I mean the cinematography isn't as good as Hero but I can see why it was nominated for the Oscar (I mean stuff like the final fight and the fight against the guards in the Bamboo forest - sorry if I screwed the term up is where it shines the best). The story is full of emotion and there is hardly a dumb moment in it. The acting is amazing, I have only seen Andy Lau in Infernal Affairs but he does a good job here and so does Ziyi Zhang and Takeshi Kaneshiro is very good as Jin. The editing in the fight scenes especially does get pretty choppy, I mean although I liked this more than Hero (yes, I said that) Hero does have the better fight scenes ONLY because they're better edited.I would say if you're a fan of this sort of movie - check it out. I mean out of all the Wu Xia films this is easily one of my favourites and definitely the best movie I've seen in a while. I'd say if you want to watch it for the beautiful looking Chinese country-side or the emotion put into the story then this is certainly one I'd recommend to you.

House of Flying Daggers is a brilliant movie. The story, acting directing, cinematography, design work, etc....are all fantastic.The story is a love story nested inside a war story. Or...if one prefers...a "kung fu" story. It doesn't matter which perspective one chooses.Visually the color palate is a continuous feast for the eyes. Many Hollywood movies seek to achieve a monochrome look. HFD brings color and nature to life in scene after scene.There is true character development in the film. The male protagonist states that he will bring the female protagonist to "where there are flowers blooming." In classic oriental style...when the male protagonist brings the female protagonist to the field where the flowers are blooming the metaphoric parallel between the field and the flower that is actually blooming is brought to full emotional life.The full dictates of "life getting in the way of love" are explored. If you watch HFD and don't "see" this then you are missing what is really going on.

Overpowering visuals with kinetic sound editing highlight this wonderful to look at Film. But, the back Story is more spoken than presented and it lacks intrigue that was lost somewhere between the sappy and sentimental Love Triangle and the impressive Fight Scenes.Undeniably rich and rewarding Cinematography with more Colors than Crayola do save this maudlin Shakespearean wannabe. Focusing and lingering on the Beautiful outdoor landscapes and Hyper Stylized Wirework with a broad lens and awe is understandable. But what is incomprehensible is the amount of Screen Time and attention given to close up Faces and Bodies kissing and hugging, lying in a Field, looking up, looking at each other and it all looks rather boring.Especially when everything else is so vibrant and stunning. The Love Scenes and Dialog are so weak that they distract and stop the Movie. So there are things here that work wonderfully, the Art Design, the Fight Choreography, and the Ambiance in general. But what falters is the pale Political Story and the Love Story languishing with sometimes laughable lines. "I am like the Wind. I too would like to be like the Wind", or some such Poetic pretensions.