Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4/4
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Cheng Pei-Pei, Sihung Lung
Rated PG-13 for Martial Arts Violence and Some Sexuality
It could be reasonably argued that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" fits better into the romance genre than martial arts extravaganza. Oh sure, there are plenty of truly sensational action sequences, but, at its heart, this is a love story.
Legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) wishes to leave his fighting days behind him. To bring closure to his past life, he has decided to give his legendary sword, the Green Destiny, to his benefactor, Sir Te (Lung). Meanwhile, the woman he loves (but has never admitted it), Shu Lien (Yeoh), has developed a friendship with Jiao Long (Zhang), a governor's daughter who is set to be married into wealthy family. When the Green Destiny is stolen, these three people will find their futures tied together as they confront their pasts.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is like a myth come to life. It has all of the grand emotions, the epic scale, and the burning passions. Ang Lee has built his career on understated emotions, such in "Brokeback Mountain," "The Wedding Banquet," or "Eat Drink Man Woman." Here, he goes all out, as far Lee goes. It's still bubbling beneath the surface and filled with longing, but Lee allows it to breathe and burst from the screen in a way that all the great epics do.
The performances are astonishing. Action stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh show considerable dramatic chops not often associated with the genre. Yun-Fat is famous for his work with action director John Woo in films such as "Hardboiled" or "The Killer," but in Hong Kong he's known for romance roles. As a man who is tired of fighting, the actor portrays Li Mu Bai as a weary man who accepts his future with grace and resignation. That he is retiring without avenging his master from the notorious criminal Jade Fox weighs heavily on him. But he finds redemption in the hopes of training Jiao Long, who has a tremendous amount of skill, but not much focus. Yeoh plays a woman who deeply loves Li Mu Bai, but is forbidden from acting on it, as his master and her fiancée were the same person. Ziyi Zhang is stunning as a young girl who is at a crossroads with her future and her past. She has a connection to Jade Fox that neither Li Mu Bai nor Shu Lien are aware of, but she also has to choose between her arranged marriage or the thief Dark Cloud (Chang) who loved her many years ago. All three deserved, but did not get, Oscar nominations.
Undoubtedly, the major selling points of the film are the action scenes. They're fantastic. Actually, while they do feature martial arts and weapons, calling them "kung fu" or something is a bit of a misnomer. This isn't Jackie Chan. Each movement is filled with grace, beauty and rhythm. Truth be told, they're more like ballet dances rather than traditional fights. In fact, Zhang isn't trained in martial arts, so she uses her dance moves instead. The actors did their own stunts, with the help of wires that were removed in post-production. So yes, they are flying across buildings and Yun-Fat and Zhang do have a fight in the tree tops. If there's a flaw, and it's a minor one, it's that the action moves so fast that the camera can't track it very well. And there were two instances where something happened and I wasn't able to tell how it happened.
On a technical level, the film is no less impressive. The cinematography by Peter Pau is awesome. There are some truly gorgeous images to be found. Not just in the landscapes (which are jaw-dropping), but even in the smaller, more subtle moments, such as when Shu Lien loses track of her target and is left in the middle of the courtyard. The soundtrack by Tan Dun is also incredible with a main theme that perfectly compliments the action, and the long tones of acclaimed cellist Yo Yo Ma highlighting the yearning of the characters.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is one of the few foreign films that got the reception it deserved. People couldn't stop talking about it when it was released. It was such a hit that Sony Pictures Classics released it into multiplexes, where it earned over $100 million in the US alone (its reception in the Asian markets was decidedly less impressive, where it was viewed as just another wuxia flick). It also earned a shocking 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (which, considering the competition, it should have won). This was unheard of for a foreign film, let along one where not a word of English is spoken.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a bona fide masterpiece. That is without dispute. Every element shines and Ang Lee brings them together as only he can. If you haven't already seen it, that's a mistake you would do well to remedy as soon as possible.
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Cheng Pei-Pei, Sihung Lung
Rated PG-13 for Martial Arts Violence and Some Sexuality
It could be reasonably argued that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" fits better into the romance genre than martial arts extravaganza. Oh sure, there are plenty of truly sensational action sequences, but, at its heart, this is a love story.
Legendary warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) wishes to leave his fighting days behind him. To bring closure to his past life, he has decided to give his legendary sword, the Green Destiny, to his benefactor, Sir Te (Lung). Meanwhile, the woman he loves (but has never admitted it), Shu Lien (Yeoh), has developed a friendship with Jiao Long (Zhang), a governor's daughter who is set to be married into wealthy family. When the Green Destiny is stolen, these three people will find their futures tied together as they confront their pasts.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is like a myth come to life. It has all of the grand emotions, the epic scale, and the burning passions. Ang Lee has built his career on understated emotions, such in "Brokeback Mountain," "The Wedding Banquet," or "Eat Drink Man Woman." Here, he goes all out, as far Lee goes. It's still bubbling beneath the surface and filled with longing, but Lee allows it to breathe and burst from the screen in a way that all the great epics do.
The performances are astonishing. Action stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh show considerable dramatic chops not often associated with the genre. Yun-Fat is famous for his work with action director John Woo in films such as "Hardboiled" or "The Killer," but in Hong Kong he's known for romance roles. As a man who is tired of fighting, the actor portrays Li Mu Bai as a weary man who accepts his future with grace and resignation. That he is retiring without avenging his master from the notorious criminal Jade Fox weighs heavily on him. But he finds redemption in the hopes of training Jiao Long, who has a tremendous amount of skill, but not much focus. Yeoh plays a woman who deeply loves Li Mu Bai, but is forbidden from acting on it, as his master and her fiancée were the same person. Ziyi Zhang is stunning as a young girl who is at a crossroads with her future and her past. She has a connection to Jade Fox that neither Li Mu Bai nor Shu Lien are aware of, but she also has to choose between her arranged marriage or the thief Dark Cloud (Chang) who loved her many years ago. All three deserved, but did not get, Oscar nominations.
Undoubtedly, the major selling points of the film are the action scenes. They're fantastic. Actually, while they do feature martial arts and weapons, calling them "kung fu" or something is a bit of a misnomer. This isn't Jackie Chan. Each movement is filled with grace, beauty and rhythm. Truth be told, they're more like ballet dances rather than traditional fights. In fact, Zhang isn't trained in martial arts, so she uses her dance moves instead. The actors did their own stunts, with the help of wires that were removed in post-production. So yes, they are flying across buildings and Yun-Fat and Zhang do have a fight in the tree tops. If there's a flaw, and it's a minor one, it's that the action moves so fast that the camera can't track it very well. And there were two instances where something happened and I wasn't able to tell how it happened.
On a technical level, the film is no less impressive. The cinematography by Peter Pau is awesome. There are some truly gorgeous images to be found. Not just in the landscapes (which are jaw-dropping), but even in the smaller, more subtle moments, such as when Shu Lien loses track of her target and is left in the middle of the courtyard. The soundtrack by Tan Dun is also incredible with a main theme that perfectly compliments the action, and the long tones of acclaimed cellist Yo Yo Ma highlighting the yearning of the characters.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is one of the few foreign films that got the reception it deserved. People couldn't stop talking about it when it was released. It was such a hit that Sony Pictures Classics released it into multiplexes, where it earned over $100 million in the US alone (its reception in the Asian markets was decidedly less impressive, where it was viewed as just another wuxia flick). It also earned a shocking 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (which, considering the competition, it should have won). This was unheard of for a foreign film, let along one where not a word of English is spoken.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a bona fide masterpiece. That is without dispute. Every element shines and Ang Lee brings them together as only he can. If you haven't already seen it, that's a mistake you would do well to remedy as soon as possible.
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