House of Flying Daggers

Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Song Dandan, Anita Mui

Directed by: Zhang Yimou

RS: 3.5of 4 Stars

2004 Sony Pictures Classics Action

Forget Hero -- that cult hit was just Zhang Yimou's warm-up for this martial-arts fireball that throws in a lyrical love story, head-spinning fights and dazzling surprises. Two Tang Dynasty officers -- pretty-boy Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and rough-hewn Leo (Andy Lau) -- try to trick Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a blind dancer, into leading them to the Flying Daggers, a group of insurgents. Jin and Mei fall in love while Leo simmers with unrequited lust. The director of Raise the Red Lantern, a former insurgent himself in China, proves himself a poet of bamboo-forest fights and duels in the snow that could make a tiger crouch. Prepare your eyes for popping. And don't be fooled by Zhang Ziyi's delicate beauty -- this babe can kick your ass.