If you're up for a soapy love story that gallops across a snowy Autumn Hallmark card, then this film should do you just fine.

Named, "The House of Flying Daggers," this picture spends little-to-no time in any house. But, I must say, when the daggers appear, they are pretty darned cool. Cutting though the air with ease, impossible accuracy and even a fatal sense of humor. In fact, one of the film's funniest moments has our handsome leading man fire off four arrows from a bow in rapid succession. The last of the four catches up with the first three as if they'd been launched together. All four find their targets as if they had eyes and brains of their own. And so fly the daggers.

But projectiles aside, the picture is squarely a love story. A clever vying of spy vs. spy, with fragile hearts in the delicate daring balance. Though promising to be a war film spanning massive China, the bouts are only a backdrop to the soap opera.

The battles serve to punctuate and support a game of trust, distrust and unpredictable reigned passion between the leads. This drama is painted across beautiful landscapes of orange leaves and snow textured bark.

Though I'm not much for soap, the film still cajoled me until a climax and resolution that had me wincing. As sharp and as precise as the daggers fly, that ending is sloppy, dull, agonizing and ultimately ridiculous.

Would have been a strong B+, potential A-, but the ending breaks its back.

This film screened at a Laemmle Theatre.