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House of Flying Daggers

House of Flying Daggers
House of Flying Daggers poster.JPG
Theatrical release poster
Traditional 十面埋伏
Simplified 十面埋伏
Mandarin Shí Miàn Mái Fú
Cantonese Sap6 Min6 Maai4 Fuk6
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Produced by
Written by
  • Li Feng
  • Peter Wu
  • Wang Bin
  • Zhang Yimou
Starring
Music by Shigeru Umebayashi
Cinematography Zhao Xiaoding
Edited by Long Cheng
Production
companies
  • Edko Films
  • Elite Group Enterprises
  • Zhang Yimou Studio
  • Beijing New Picture Films
Distributed by
Release date
  • 19 May 2004 (2004-05-19) (Cannes)
  • 15 July 2004 (2004-07-15) (Hong Kong)
  • 16 July 2004 (2004-07-16) (China)
Running time
119 minutes
Country
  • China
  • Hong Kong
Language Mandarin
Budget $12 million
Box office $92.9 million
House of Flying Daggers
HouseofFlyingDaggersSoundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack album by Shigeru Umebayashi
Released
  • 15 July 2004 (2004-07-15) (Hong Kong)
  • 7 December 2004 (2004-12-07) (United States)
Genre Stage & Screen Classical
Length 49:37
Label Edko (Hong Kong)
Sony (United States)
Producer Shigeru Umebayashi

House of Flying Daggers is a 2004 wuxia romance film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Unlike other wuxia films, it is more of a love story than purely a martial arts film.

The use of strong colors is a signature of Zhang Yimou's work. Several scenes in a bamboo forest completely fill the screen with green. Near the end of the film, a fight scene is set in a blizzard. The actors and blood are greatly highlighted on a whiteout background. Another scene uses bright yellow as a color theme. The costumes, props, and decorations were taken almost entirely from Chinese paintings of the period, adding authenticity to the look of the film .

The film opened in limited release within the United States on 3 December 2004, in New York City and Los Angeles, and opened on additional screens throughout the country two weeks later.

The film was chosen as China's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the year 2004, but was not nominated in that category, though it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

In AD 859, as the Tang Dynasty declines, a number of rebel groups are established, the largest of which is the House of Flying Daggers, based in Fengtian, who battle the corrupt government that oppresses the people. Its members steal from the rich and give to the poor, gaining the support of the locals. Two police officers, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) - who are best friends - are ordered to kill the leader of the group within ten days, a task that appears to be impossible as no-one knows who the leader of the House of the Flying Daggers is.


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