FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

It’s a simple story about an underground vigilante group called the Flying Daggers whose purpose is to undermine and destroy the government. Their old leader has been killed and so their efforts have increased to show that they have not weakened. Mei, the former leader’s daughter is discovered as a spy and must escape back north to their hideout. Since she is blind, a man named Jin escorts her. Little does she know, he’s a government spy looking to infiltrate their base. Can he keep up the charade, or will his growing affection for her break him down?

The story line isn’t all that deep or too interesting. If it helps at all, think of it as a martial arts flick where the main character is blind. It’s like “Zatoichi” meets “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” I say that second part, because it’s one of those new wire-fu movies that have become something of a trend. The same writing and directing team that brought you “Hero” brings about this latest entry into the genre. Yimou Zhang directs and helps Feng Li and Bin Wang write. It’s meant to be something of a companion piece, but I can’t really tell you how it stacks up, because as of yet, I haven’t seen that Jet Li movie.

So, let’s talk about the action stuff. It doesn’t get too incredibly wacky and wild. People do climb about on trees like monkeys and do crazy impossible dodging moves, but actually the majority of the fighting is rather straightforward. Most of the wire action you’ll see is the ones dangling off the fake squirrel that appears in one shot. Even though the fighting is mostly back-to-basics (yet surprisingly dull), I’d consider it a wire-fu because of the few sequences that utilize the anti-gravitational style and for all those flying daggers. Honestly, it’s less like a dagger and more like a heat-seeking missile. These things find their targets and then circle around to do exactly what they need to do. A decent enough concept, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. If special effects have to be used, I’d rather see a shot with the dagger flying around then having the camera fly with the dagger to its location. Or at least switch it up a little and show both.

Other aspects of the cinematography (by first timer Xiaoding Zhao) weren’t all that great either. Some of the scenes were quite vibrant and quite colorful. However, sometimes the scene just looked too phony. I could see the digital manipulation too easily. Other times, there were color correction problems within the scenes. For instance, at once point two characters are fighting in the snow. It starts out a stunning bright white, then loses its luster in certain shots and regains it in others. It’s subtle and not everyone will catch it, but it may still affect you subconsciously.

Nothing about the film really stood out to me as being particularly great, except for one thing. The sound. This was a great use of sound effects and music. If you don’t see the film in theatres, but plan to eventually, make sure you have a great surround sound system. Like I said, the fighting was tame and unappealing, but the audio just blares out and comes at you from all angles. It builds the excitement where the visual side falls short.

Those desperate for a new martial arts flick may be disappointed in the banality of this film. From the love story to the action to the dance sequences, it all seemed a bit too much and certainly too long. This one is just not my cup of tea.

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