Martial arts epics have long been a stateside staple, but the early 2000s piqued the interest of the masses like no other. Blockbusters like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero dominated the zeitgeist in a major way. The two films are some of the biggest wuxia epics in history, and for good reason — but their reputation was so renowned that they eventually eclipsed any other worthwhile contenders for the same recognition.
House of Flying Daggers was one such contender, directed by Hero’s Zhang Yimou and featuring some of the brightest stars of the wuxia wave. It has all the doomed romance (give or take a few icky power dynamics) of Crouching Tiger, paired with Zhang’s trademark affinity for color. Where Hero is awash in inky blacks, pulpy reds, and blue horizons, Flying Daggers explodes with warm pinks and endless walls of green. It’s also a film focused more on pathos — particularly where its doomed love triangle is concerned — than action, a choice that may or may not have kept this story sidelined.
