Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)January 1st, 2001
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" – An Animal of an Epic
by Homer Yen
(c) 2000
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," an old-fashioned martial arts story, is one of the brightest gems that you'll find in this generally lackluster Y2K movie season. Promoted heavily among the MTV generation, many would think that this film features little more than wild fight sequences. Sure, one of the film's greatest pleasures is to watch master Wuxia warriors manipulate swords with the same grace and ease as a master painter and his brush. But in Director Ang Lee's operatic, romantic epic, equally impressive is its tale that touches upon several ideals of Middle Kingdom China and its several wonderful characters who fight on behalf of their principles as well as against their own desires.
The story involves Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat), a benevolent, battle-weary warrior who has vowed to avenge the death of his master. But after many years traveling the countryside, he is beginning to grow tired and hopes to retire his sword (called the Green Destiny) in hopes of finding the inner peace that he has long sought. He has, for many years, been in love with fellow warrior, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), and she with him. But their love remains unresolved, constrained by custom and put on hold until vengeance can be achieved. We also meet Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), the daughter of an aristocrat who lives a rigidly proscribed life. She envies the unfettered lifestyle of Yu and attempts to defy the rules imposed upon her by the nobility. The other major character is the evil Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei) who stands between the heroes and their dreams.
Li, Yu, and Jen (all accomplished and incredibly lithe warriors) become entangled in a conflict over the Green Destiny. As a result, many beautifully choreographed fight sequences arise in their struggle to gain control of the mythical sword. "What you see," says Stefan Hammond, author of two books on Hong Kong cinema," is what was visualized by 11th century raconteurs as they gathered in town squares, spinning yarns of heroes and epic battles for spare coins."
Combat sequences are indescribably mesmerizing and balletic as they defy imagination and gravity. Combatants scale walls with impossible trajectories, leap over rooftops, paralyze opponents by slamming pressure points, fight atop bamboo plants, and execute swordplay with the grace and acrobatic skill of Cirque du Soleil performers. As these three do battle, they begin to examine who they are, what they believe in, whom they love and what their duty is.
The film is also successful in bringing out the human elements, especially the unrealized love between Li and Yu. The affection that they feel for one another and the special bond that they share is genuine. Jen's character was also intriguing as a girl who needed to break her chains of nobility in order to pursue her private fantasies as a free woman.
Great martial arts film's are not just about the fights, but also about the characters' quest for personal excellence. In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Director Ang Lee finds the right balance of swashbuckling and storytelling. The result is an oneiric mixture of tenderness, poetry and escapism.
Grade: A-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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