House of Flying Daggers

Director Yimou Zhang had a good enough year in 2004 when he released the stunning Hero. Now comes this dazzler, another chance to see the amazing Ziyi Zhang in action. Zhang plays a blind woman with amazing martial arts and dancing skills who is suspected of having ties with a revolutionary faction called the House of Flying Daggers. Two men concoct a plan to kidnap and ransom her, but all sorts of twists and turns occur that shake the story up to the point that it is impossible to guess what’s going on. Zhang seriously deserves to have awards thrown at her for this amazing work, but given the film’s small-scale release schedule, it’s doubtful enough people have seen her work. Yimou Zhang’s direction is beautifully poetic, especially during a scene where Ziyi Zhang performs an amazing flying robe dance.