Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Plot:
Known for making films about familial relationships, director Ang Lee surprised everyone with his martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Based on a novel by Wang Du Lu, Crouching Tiger starts with the revenge plot common in the wuxia stories that Lee loved as a child, then adds a feminist twist. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a legendary martial artist who has decided to pass on his sword, the Green Destiny, to a friend. Soon afterwards, the sword is stolen by a masked female, setting in motion events that test the bonds of family, love, duty, and sisterhood. Chow appears with three generations of female stars: Cheng Pei Pei, a 1960s action heroine; Michelle Yeoh, the beauty queen turned 1980s action goddess; and newcomer Zhang Ziyi, who smolders as the princess who wants more than domestic tranquility. Famed action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix) stages jaw-dropping zero-G fights across rooftops, rivers, and bamboo trees, while Yo Yo Ma punctuates the fisticuffs with dramatic cello solos. Described by Lee as "Sense And Sensibility" with martial arts,"Crouching Tiger recalls the best wuxia films of the 1960s and pushes the genre in new directions. (From Yahoo Movies)
My Thoughts: (Reviewed by Azrael)
Eastern
culture has always fascinated me- from the dedicated honor of the Japanese,
to the mentally astounding romance of India, and the hauntingly powerful mysticism
of the Chinese, every aspect of their world is different than ours.
Every time
I pop in this DVD, a blue screen pops up and merely says “Sony Classics”
and a classic this is indeed. To capture the true nature of this tale, you
must hear the actors speaking Mandarin, and of course, this means subtitles;
all I will say on the subtitles is that they do not get in the way of this
movie, since you will be so engrossed in the film.
The story line is superb; it offers action, romance, and thought provoking
dialogue. The chemistry between Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and Jen (Michelle
Yeoh) is truly genuine. The story technically centers around a sword: the
Green Destiny, but it actually revolves around Li Mu Bai, and his trials and
tribulations.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a fusion of different genres of movies;
one of those genres is Action, or more specifically: Martial Arts. The acrobatics
that the actors perform are truly amazing. While many people are distracted
by the wire fighting (flying around), the best confrontation is the last one
between Jen and Jade Fox’s wayward disciple. In my opinion, the best
martial artist is Michelle Yeoh; while Chow Yun Fat is stunning with a sword
and empty hand combat, Michelle Yeoh showcases the most variety in fighting,
which is obviously displayed in the final confrontation when her weapons are
easily destroyed by the Green Destiny.
What truly brings out the emotion and spirit of the movie is the musical score.
I have no idea what string instruments they use (resemble a violin) but only
a few strains of a melody is enough to bring to the surface the characters
feelings in that particular scene. All the music featured in this movie is
traditional Chinese music. The music is very simple, I think they only used
two instruments in the whole movie. The drums are very intense, which help
pump the adrenaline when watching people’s hands and feet move in speeds
that seemingly defy the laws of physics.
The fighting choreography is near perfect. Too much wire fighting for some
peoples’ likings. The producers struck martial art gold when they hired
Yuen Wo Ping, the genius behind the choreography in The Matrix. The fighting
varies between empty hand, to normal swords, to some of the craziest and exotic
weapons I have ever seen.
However, this movie is not perfect- , but the shortcomings are few and far
between. My main irritation is that the movie moves too slow at certain times:
there is a nearly one hour flashback to set up the background of one character
who is basically disposable to the plot of the movie. The other bone to pick
I have is that at times the movie tries to be too deep thinking for its own
good, such as slowing down a fight just to see a glimpse of the fighters’
faces in slow motion.
Maybe I am biased towards an Eastern Movie (Last Samurai anybody?) but you
cannot deny that this is a different movie then those that have been produced
lately. In my eyes, this is not a movie, but a delicately constructed piece
of art.
Starring:
Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Yun-Fat Chow, Sihung Lung
Directed by: Ang Lee
Rated PG-13