Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wu Hu Zang Long)

TIFF [2000]

(Taiwan, 2000) 120 minutes
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen
Written by: James Chamus, Wang Hui Ling, Tsai Kuo Jung
Based on the novel by Du Lu Wang
Directed by: Ang Lee

The Story

19th Century Qing Dynasty China: Retiring warrior monk Li Mu Bai gives his prized sword, the Green Destiny, to his lover and sister-in-law Yu Shu Lien to deliver to an old friend in Bejing(Yu, an equally skilled fighter, has sworn vengeance against the Jade Fox, who had earlier killed Li's master). In a daring nighttime raid, the sword is stolen and the thief--possibly at the Jade Fox's command--blithely scales the walls of the compound to escape, but not without Yu and the guards putting up an acrobatic fight. Traveling to Peking to track the sword, Yu meets up with young Jen, a princess about to be forced into marriage and envious of Yu's adventurous life of freedom. In a flashback, we learn of Jen's eternal love for Lo, a desert bandit who had earlier raided her family's caravan. Eventually, secret identities are revealed and Li comes out of retirement, resulting in a clash of emotions, steel, and fists building to a surprising conclusion.

ROBERT L'S REVIEW

As a big screen experience, "Crouching Tiger" is a feast for the senses, from the stunning, painterly landscapes,to the imaginative battles and fanciful wirework...

What's this? The director of "Sense And Sensibility" and "The Ice Storm" (earning him the nickname, "Angst Lee", from a friend) guiding international action icons Chow Yun Fat and Michele Yeoh (neither speaking their native languages, btw) through gravity defying sword fights and balletic hand-to-hand combat (choreographed by the man who put Keanu through his paces in "The Matrix")? Believe your eyes, and believe the flood of hype soon to follow--this is that rare film that absolutely delivers on its promise. As "Star Wars®" is to the bargain-basement space operas of the 30s, Ang Lee's rousing, operatic martial arts romance is to those poorly-dubbed late-night programmers and grainy bootlegs Asian action ("wu xia") enthusiasts have been devouring for years. Lee has revisited his childhood film influences with the budget and scope the Shaw Brothers could have only imagined, but not at the expense of their playful spirit and naive, but oddly profound, romanticism.

Talk Back

As a big screen experience, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a feast for the senses, from the stunning, painterly landscapes (Bejing, Xinjing, the Gobi Desert), to the imaginative battles and fanciful wirework, and pulse-pounding, percussive score by Tan Dun and Yo Yo Ma (providing cello solos). In this film's world, the martial arts aren't mere set pieces, but a natural way for these characters to express themselves. It's a conceit handled wittily throughout such as when Jen nimbly uses the Green Destiny against several dozen attackers in a tavern while reciting poetry, or when Yu tries to change Jen's mind by unleashing a virtual arsenal of outrageous weaponry against her.

Some will be disappointed that (top-billed) Chow Yun-Fat's screen time is comparatively brief--the film belongs to its female stars, Michelle Yeoh as Yu, Pei-Pei Cheng as the Jade Fox, and true discovery Zhang Ziyi as the petite dynamo Jen, who embodies the dichotomy of the title.

This brutally early, 8:30 AM (on a Sunday, no less) press screening concluded with a packed theatre of battle-scarred critics standing and applauding. So you know it's that good.

- Robert L

Talk Back

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