Continuing the recent trend of quality, big budget, spectacular Chinese Epics, House of Flying Daggers doesn’t disappoint.

Having had major success in cinemas worldwide, the DVD release is eagerly awaited.

Set in the final years of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 907), it is AD 859 and groups of rebels are fighting against government corruption and poor treatment of the people.

Once such group calls themselves ‘The House of Flying Daggers’.

Using tactics such as infiltrating government departments to ambushing soldiers sent to seek and destroy them, they are a highly secretive and elusive organization.

What follows next is some of the most stunning cinema I have ever seen.

The costumes, designed to accurately reflect the period of the opulent Tang Dynasty, are gorgeous to behold.

The colours of which simply fill the screen with a majestic presence.

The Tang Dynasty was considered a Golden Age of Chinese history, particularly in poetry, and no expense has been spared to reproduce this here.

Director of this film is Zhang Yimou (no relation to actress Zhang Ziyi and remember, in China the surname is written before the first name).

Fresh from directing ‘Hero’, another blockbuster, Zhang has put together a great love story, peppered with stunning action and laced with tragedy.

Zhang Yimou’s cinematography skills are well displayed all throughout this film and I challenge you to not be breath taken at least once when watching this.

A forest scene that is awash with every shade of green particularly stands out.

This film is very colour coordinated and it just works on every level. A true, visual wonder.

I felt the casting for this film was just perfect.

Takeshi Kaneshiro was superb as Captain Jin who was tasked with seducing the Mei, the blind daughter of a former leader of the House of the Flying Daggers.

Similarly, his colleague, Captain Leo (played by Andy Lau Tak Wah) added a certain gravitas to the whole piece.

From dancing to fighting to passionate love scenes, she performs each effortlessly and with fierce conviction.

And you think you’ve seen great action scenes in previous Chinese films? Think again.

This is choreography to die for.

Mere words cannot do it justice. Absolutely fantastic.

From hand to hand combat to all manner of weaponry.

It’s great eye candy and has a certain fluidity that is just magical. You just have to see it!

House of Flying Daggers has enough twists and turns to rival the Badaling Great Wall of China and is highly entertaining.