Before I saw HOFD I heard how this "blows away" Hero from some reviews. Right off the bat I'll tell you that statement is ludacris. This fails horribly in that comparison.

This plot in my opinion was not simple and linear, I actully found it unrealistic and nonsensical. What motive would Andy Lau's character have for sending Takeshi's character on a mission to accompany the blind girl back to the Flying Daggers camp? Just so they could capture him and execute him? He was just soldier, no one important. Yet by doing this they lead the army straight to them? It boggles my mind on what the writer was thinking.

As for the so-called love triangle. To have this you need Zhang Ziyi's character to be torn between both men but she cleary did not show that she had any feelings for Andy Lau whatsoever. She was torn between love and duty to her clan. Andy Lau was just someone with an unrequited love.

The movie was not all bad as Andy Lau gave another fantastic performance and continues to show why he is the best actor in Hk today. Also the cinematogaphy was superb as was to be expected. Simply stunning visuals.

Thje action scenes were OK. A little different than Hero or CTHD. I wasn't overly impressed but not disapointed either.

In my humble opinion this film is just a big box of eye candy. It was given 4 stars for its opening here in the west which astounds me to no end. While not total trash, this movie "aint no Hero".