What a beautiful-looking film this is. Resplendent with colour and culture both. This came as a suggestion after watching [[Hero (2002)]]. Xiaoding Zhao's cinematography made the countryside look fabulous. The colours just came alive in all the seasons.

It is a martial art romance film. On those grounds also, the movie holds up. A rebellion is underway. The House of Flying Daggers poses a threat to the Tang Dynasty. A young blind woman is captured who is likely the daughter of the leader of the rebellion. So one of the general's men breaks her free in the hope that she will lead them to the hideout of the rebellion. They journey together for 3 days and slowly start to care for each other. It's worth watching how the story unfolds from there.

There are several action sequences. It was welcoming to see that even the cannon fodder class of soldiers are shown as really good fighters. The sequences are choreographed well. There are a few physics-defying scenes, but they don't leave a store taste in your mouth. In the early part of the film, there is a curious game of echoes. That was a fresh concept which I loved.

Western action movies usually follow a muted greyish colour palette. Even the beautiful ones like [[Nicolas Winding Refn]]'s [[Drive (2011)]] or [[Edgar Wright]]'s [[Baby Driver (2017)]] characteristically feel American. In such times, it is a pleasure to watch a vivid colour palette with a wide gamut. This was China's official entry to the Academy Awards and I think I see why.

The execution is a bit slow. Especially during the emotional scenes, the actors have too long shots to continue emoting to a point where even a well-established actor would struggle. That could be why the movie never reached the finalists at the Oscars.

I enjoyed Hero, and I enjoyed this one too.