Among them, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "House of Flying Daggers" are of the highest artistic level in my opinion. The former even got an Oscar nod.
The significance of "Hero" to Chinese films is even more milestone.
But it seems that "House of Flying Daggers" is rarely recognized by domestic audiences. Most of the negative comments on the Internet focus on the problem that the heroine is always unkillable. I think these accusations are indeed understandable, but it is easy to overlook the merits of the film itself.
On the contrary, the two films of Laomouzi have excellent reputation abroad. With "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" appearing in three such remarkable films, Zhang Ziyi has become the most famous Chinese female star in the eyes of foreigners. This is the height that those carpet stars in China today cannot reach no matter how hard they try.
Let's go back to the polarized word-of-mouth differences between China and the West for this film. I don't think it's surprising either. Because "House of Flying Daggers" basically satisfies the Western audience's imagination of Chinese culture. The content of the film covers almost all the symbols of oriental beauty defined by the West for China. Coupled with Laomouzi's powerful lens beauty. The film's success in the West is not surprising.
In China, audiences don't quite recognize "House of Flying Daggers". There was even a movie dedicated to spoofing the famous film. I think this should be because the audience can't accept that the film too caters to the oriental beauty defined by the west. The film's interpretation of martial arts is very weak, and it is different from the pleasure and hatred in traditional martial arts. Even the scene of "House of Flying Daggers" presents the visual effects of a Western opera. Especially the tragic color of the plot is not very different from past movies. Therefore, it is not surprising that domestic audiences do not buy it.
In my opinion, judging from the two films "House of Flying Daggers" and "Heroes", Lao Mo Zi's attitude is desirable. He pursues art and beauty in his films. Although this pursuit has a place to cater to Western tastes, the effect of what he does is indeed very good. He has a profound reference and understanding of the works of oriental directors such as Akira Kurosawa, who are successful in the West. Although he is still far away from Akira Kurosawa.
The films that started the Chinese blockbuster era left a deep impression on me at that time. I want to say that although most of these movies have been classified as bad movies by people to this day, I don't agree with them. Even I think "The Promise" is a movie ahead of its time, and its meaning can only be recognized later. The same is true of "House of Flying Daggers", Zhang Yimou finally told a good story in addition to the gorgeous rendering of the scenes, costumes and props he is good at. Although this story does not have a special background in ancient times, because this story will hold true even now. Didn't you see it? Andy Lau also played "Infernal Affairs" in "House of Flying Daggers" for a while.
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