'Daggers' takes a stab at DVD

Last year saw a double dose of visually breathtaking cinema by way of Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" -- two films that found their way out of Hong Kong to grace American screens. This feat is becoming less and less rare as Asian cinema burrows its way into our cultural mainstream.\nWhile "Hero's" storyline was leaner and more linear, "Daggers" veers off the beaten path and borders on overly complex. Set during the Tang dynasty in 859 A.D., "Daggers" follows the story of lawmen Leo and Jin as they attempt to squelch a rebellion engineered by revolutionaries known as the Flying Daggers. They meet up with an overly informed blind dancer played by Zhang Ziyi, and three acts of visual beauty mixed with emotional distance follow.\nI should digress from the plot points in "Daggers," since Yimou's heavy guns come out in the form of a three-way collaboration between Menfond Electronic Arts, Digital Pictures Iloura and Animal Logic Film to create the visual effects, as well as the gorgeous martial arts choreography of Zhang Jianmin. There are many scenes, such as a stunning fight amid a bamboo forest, that seem to exist simply as visual stimuli, and on that level they work beautifully. Yimou and cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding made great strides in determining how a modern martial arts film can look, as well as giving rise to the notion that with the right amount of funding, top notch Asian filmmakers could soon compete valiantly against Hollywood's industry domination.\nFeatures on this edition of the film include an obviously studio-produced making-of doc, as well as a by-the-numbers feature-length commentary from Yimou and lead actress Ziyi. Perhaps the most worthwhile extras here are a mini-doc on the creation of the film's stunning visual effects, and a peek into how several standout scenes made it from their initial storyboards to the screen.\n"House of Flying Daggers," along with Yimou's "Hero," will stand as visual, if not narrative, documents to early 21st century martial art film ambition. A flick that looks this great, especially on this high-def transfer, can easily be forgiven for its narrative shortcomings and appreciated as fine visual artistry on film.