If you have seen movies that combine the dynamism of action and the euphoria of romance, then I am certain you have seen movies that have failed miserably at achieving a balance between both. I can name many films that would appropriately belong to that category, but House of Flying Daggers will not be one of them.

In fact, this movie goes beyond achieving a balance between the elements of action and romance – it creates an example of epic storytelling that flows smoothly without any hitches along the way — for me at least. I was fascinated by it. It was a love story that was in no way buoyed by the pulse-pounding thrills brought by its action. It was a story with action that was never hampered by the romantic interludes interspersed in the film. Director Zhang Yimou did such a splendid job behind the camera and I would consider this as one of his masterpieces.

The actors were as attractive as they were talented. Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau had great chemistry that made the movie even more interesting. They provided the needed charisma to pull off the romantic side of their characters and the needed ability to pull off the butt-kicking aspect of their roles. Yin and yang.

The visuals were amazing, as with all the other Zhang Yimou films. Color saturation is one of the inescapable signatures of this director and in this movie it was put to good use. You can’t miss the greens here! Promise! Of course, the near impossible fight sequences were also present — Chinese action choreography is so out of this world… or so out of Hollywood. [hehehe]

There is so much to love about this movie — stuff I’ve said in previous Zhang Yimou films — but this being a great movie is the one that I will leave you with. If you haven’t seen this one yet, I would certainly recommend it to you all.