Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a blind dancer at the decadent Peony Pavilion, is suspected to be an underground rebel fighting the Chinese government in House of Flying Daggers.

Throughout the year, I am the first one to complain when many specialty films come late to Cincinnati theaters after playing for weeks or months in other cities. Except in January, when I'm thankful for the delayed arrival of high profile, award-nominated art films during bleak new year weeks dominated by awful studio releases like Racing Stripes (a talking zebra movie) and White Noise (a thrill-less ghost thriller).

In the gripping political drama Hotel Rwanda, all the clichés and predictabilities of the reluctant, unlikely hero are wiped away by Don Cheadle's emotional, dynamic performance as Paul Rusesabagina, manager of Rwanda's posh Hotel Milles Collines in 1994 when Hutu extremists expressed their hatred for the Tutsis and moderate Hutus -- what they called cockroaches -- with a violent attempt at swift and total genocide.

Cheadle is earnest, compelling and heartfelt in every scene as Rusesabagina exchanges cash, liquor and favors with Rwanda's military authorities to save his family, friends and a growing circle of innocent people fighting to survive. Barricaded in his hotel with his family, employees and Tutsis from the surrounding area, Rusesabagina is a flash of goodness in a land overrun by evil.

Hotel Rwanda director Terry George was a journalist before turning screenwriter and filmmaker, and his reporting experience and socio-political interests color his previous scripts for director Jim Sheridan, The Boxer, In the Name of the Father, as well as his own films, the Irish IRA drama Some Mother's Son and his sophomore effort, Hotel Rwanda.

George stays true to the grim, tense backdrop of the Rwandan genocide, re-creating the real-life atrocities with matter-of-fact clarity. Yet he keeps Hotel Rwanda from slipping into the realm of political documentary by focusing on its hero, an ordinary person caught in extraordinary circumstances who responds in extraordinary ways. Luckily for George, the dependable Cheadle gives one of the most riveting performances of the year.

Newcomer Sophie Okonedo -- she was the savvy hotel prostitute in Dirty Pretty Things -- complements Cheadle as Rusesabagina's strong willed wife Tatiana. Nick Nolte -- modeled after Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian military man and leader of the beleaguered United Nations peacekeeping force -- makes an impact with his trademark gravelly voice and bearish presence. He is rock solid, but Hotel Rwanda belongs to Cheadle, who lifts the film up on his narrow shoulders.

Whenever Hotel Rwanda stumbles, especially during its unfocused finale, Cheadle is there to grab our attention and remind us that we are watching an incredible hero's tale.

For Chinese director Zhang Yimou, the second time is the charm when it comes to surpassing the action excitement and grandeur of classic martial arts films. House of Flying Daggers, Zhang's latest epic adventure film, might not match the artful images and colorful photography (courtesy of acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle) of Hero, but it trumps that worldwide hit in terms of adventure, romance and excitement.

In 859 A.D. China, two government soldiers (Asian superstars Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau) set out to capture the secret leader of the Flying Daggers, an underground alliance fighting against the corrupt government leaders.

Their prime suspect is Mei (Zhang Ziyi), a blind dancer at the Peony Pavilion. House of Flying Daggers leaps into action with an early fight sequence when an army captain (Lau) challenges Mei to an Echo Game. A series of large drums circle the pavilion's hall. The smug captain tosses beans at the various drums, and Mei has to match each thumping drum with a smack of her long robes. The Echo Game quickly turns into a dazzling swordfight, creating a lightning pace that Zhang Yimou maintains throughout the film.

Zhang Ziyi is the picture of beauty as Mei with her pearl-white porcelain shoulders. She is both delicate and strong. Kaneshiro and Lau match her beguiling performance with wit and charisma.

House of Flying Daggers is ornate and colorful with luxurious costumes and spectacular landscapes. But unlike the stately Hero, Zhang Yimou never treats his actors like art objects or pieces of set design.

A gravity-defying fight sequence set atop a forest of bamboo trees is a worthy homage to classic King Wu films. While the bamboo tree fight sequence is amazing to watch, the film's romance, a triangle of heartbreak and longing between Mei and her two pursuers, soon takes center stage.

House of Flying Daggers ends like an opera with deadly declarations of love on a rolling field during a blinding snowstorm. Anything less than over-the-top would have been a disappointment. Hotel Rwanda grade: B; House Of Flying Daggers grade: A