A.K.A.: Wo Hu Cang
Long
Country: Taiwan /
Hong Kong / China
Genre(s): Action /
Adventure / Epic / Romance
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat
/ Michelle Yeoh / Zhang Ziyi
Plot
Master warriors Li Mu
Bai and Yu Shi Lien embark on a quest to recover the stolen Green Destiny
sword.
What I Liked
“Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon” really is one of those rare films that truly has something for
everyone. Whether you’re a fan of
well-acted drama, gorgeous cinematography, epic adventure, star-crossed
romance, period costumes, dazzling special effects, or martial arts action,
this film delivers top flight entertainment, whatever your pleasure. It’s sumptuous, sensuous, radiant,
intriguing, and mystifying escapism delivered with consummate artistry. In short, if you can think of a positive
adjective for a movie, chances are “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” fits the definition.
I’m overdoing it, you
say? Well, for those of you who have seen
it, go back, watch it again, and then come back and tell me if it did not fit any
of the descriptive words I applied in the paragraph above. For those who haven’t seen it, all I can say
is you’re missing out on one of the real treasures of epic film-making.
If I remember right,
this was one of the first three DVDs I ever bought, knowing that its impressive
imagery was the perfect match for digital technology. DVD, Blu-Ray, CGI, 3-D, and all kinds of
other technology have provided us with some dazzling visuals in movie-making
since this movie’s release over a decade ago, but “Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon” has not lost one iota of its spectacle.
If anything, with the film industry now overloaded with CGI and
gimmicks, this movie’s minimal use of computer-aided effects and reliance on
real landscape, stunts, and actors emphasizes the specialness of the
experience.
What I Disliked
There are times where
the movie suffers from the cheesy, none-too-subtle acting common to lower
budget Kung Fu movies. I sometimes
wonder if the actors in those films realize that the silent era, with its over-zealous gestures and silly faces, is over. However, the actors who play the five-or-so primary
characters definitely have the chops and subtlety to bring empathetic,
heartfelt emotion to a story that requires deserves it; which actually
allows the goofier acting of the supporting cast to be somewhat endearing.
Most Memorable Scene
Wow, now this is a
tough call. Let me think a minute. Okay.
It would have to be the best fight scene, of course. There are plenty of excellent fights to
choose from, but, for me, the standout is when Yu Shu Lien and Jen Yu actually
go head-to-head inside a large room. Jen Yu has the Green
Destiny and Yu Shu Lien switches from weapon to weapon. The whole fight is done with thrilling speed
and precision, accented by such satisfying effects, fraught with such personal
drama, and shot with such technical flair that it just leaves me in cinematic
nirvana no matter how many times I watch it.
My Rating: 5 out of 5
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