Ziyi Zhang Movie:

		List Price: $14.94		Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Salesrank: 76160 Released: April 19, 2005
		Our Price: $2.19
		Used Price: $1.83
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: UMD for PSP

Editorial Review:
Watch movies on your PSP handheld with DVD picture quality inwidescreen. This full length movie fits on a single UMD disc.An exotic blind dancer finds herself torn between the loyalties oflove and honor as she fights acrobatic warriors in the treetops inbattles the likes of which have never before been seen.* Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro Zhang Ziyi Andy Lau Tak-wah Song Dandan. -- SPECIFICATIONs -----------------------------------MPAA Rating: PG13Genre : Martial Arts Period FilmTheatrical Date : 2004Run Time : 119 MinutesDistributor/Studio: Sony Pictures www.sonystyle.com

Description of House of Flying Daggers [UMD for PSP]:
No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer

House of Flying Daggers [UMD for PSP] Reviews:
A Work of Art
2009-12-29 - What director Zhang Yimou has created with House of Flying Daggers is more than just a movie. It really is a work of art. The stories in the film are full of emotion which Zhang Yimou makes even more incredible with the usage of colors and special effects in the film. That is not an easy task and he should be commended for it. All the details in the storyline, the acting, direction and environment in this movie make it a work of art. The beauty is so intoxicating.

Blu ray quality
2009-12-19 - I was very disappointed in the bluray transfer. With all the colors in this movie I thought it would shine like "what dreams may come" did but it didnt. If you have the standard version then dont bother "upgrading" to the bluray version.

"Real flowers bloom in the wilderness."
2009-12-18 - Blu-Ray Review
Movie: 4/5 Video Quality: 3.5/5 Audio Quality: 4.5/5 Extras: 1.5/5 Overall: 3.4/5 (rounded down in total star ranking)

Coming from Yimou Zhang, the director of my favorite wuxia film "Hero," "House of Flying Daggers" offers a similar visual flair and some fantastic fight sequences. I was rather pleased with the story; it's maybe not as deep as other works, but this film is a pretty fun and engrossing adventure. Characters are decent and emotional. But the most attractive feature is the production design, which features lots of ornate and vibrantly colorful sets and costumes, and some cool weaponry. Photography is strong. Music is very lovely, and accentuates the story in a couple of scenes.

This disc is not perfect. The video is generally sharper than the DVD. Color and contrast vary; some scenes look great while others are either a bit washed-out or a bit too dark. A couple of scenes appear overly saturated. It is not a grainy picture, but it does have some fuzzy noise in a lot of scenes. Sound quality is excellent (your choice between lossless Cantonese or Dolby Digital 5.1 English dubbing with optional subtitles). Extras include only a visual effects featurette and some storyboards; many additional featurettes and commentaries from the DVD have been omitted.


Beautiful
2009-11-09 - Similar film style to Hero (which i loved) so i ordered on a whim without any knowledge of the movie. It's story line is much more gripping than hero and the characters are far more interesting. lacked slightly in the intense fight scenes which i was craving but overall a truly beautiful movie. i almost shed a tear...

What can I say? It's a beautiful film.
2009-09-25 - If you enjoyed watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Curse of the Golden Flower, and Hero, chances are you'll end up loving House of Flying Daggers as well. What we have here are some colorful set/costume designs like in Golden Flower, top-notch fight sequences that are about equal to Hero, and a powerful love story that can have the same impact like the one that's found in Hidden Dragon. What is so recognizable about this film, however, is the style and overall beauty. It doesn't have all those long shots of nice scenery, but it still has some beautiful shots of a bamboo forest, a meadow, and other environments that are placed in the background whenever the characters are onscreen. The way the environment is perfectly blended in the drama that's occurring at the moment. This is one fine Martial Arts film that not only has fine action, but also some sheer beauty of the way the director shot certain scenes.

So yeah, you've got a compelling plot, fascinating characters (and great performances from the lead actors), gorgeous shots, and some creative choreography all in a two-hour movie. I fully enjoyed it as much as almost everyone else who reviewed it here at Amazon.