Shi mian mai fu

A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful member of a rebel army out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

I watched the House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu) tonight. Wow. That was an intense movie. It is basically a love story with all the twists and turns those can take. It has the classic gravity-defying martial arts, but that doesn't usually bother me. I enjoy seeing what they come up with. And compared to some other movies I've caught moments of, this didn't seem that out there.

The music was beautiful, the acting was good, although I don't watch a lot of Asian movies, so I am not an expert. What is the most striking thing in the movie? The use of color. You will notice it almost right away. Pretty much after the first 15 minutes (maybe less) everything is filmed outside. But even in those first few minutes colors are so vivid. There's blues and purples, organges, greens that look painfully beautiful (e.g. when they're fighting among the bamboo). Yes, colors are amazing in this movie.

There isn't much blood in the movie, though you do see a little. No gore. No all-out sex scenes, although there are a few quick instances and one I'd fast forward a few seconds. Discernment.

I really enjoyed the movie. Like I said, it was intense. And beautiful.