House of Flying Daggers

Name: House of Flying Daggers
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Action
Released: 2004-07-16
Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Zhang Ziyi, Song Dandan, Zhao Hongfei

2004 | 119 min | Adventure, Drama, Action

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (87% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made about 6 times its budget. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for action fans. If you loved Kill Bill: Vol. 2, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood: Exciting.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 59 min.
What might put you off: It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

How it earned its rating

CriticsVery strong
87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 89 on Metacritic
AudiencesSolid
7.3 out of 10
AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
Box office & staying powerStrong
$93 million worldwide on a $15 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 129K people sought it out in the past year