paulclaassen
Whenever critics seem to rave about a film, I don't. This is a typical example. The use of obvious wire effects is a bit too much, and there is too much sword-wielding just for the sake of sword-wielding. Later, even the story did not interest me anymore and the action sequences seemed too comedic.Yawn.
Paul J. Nemecek
Critics have bemoaned the lack of quality in the films turned out in the year just past. With the exception of a few epic films like Gladiator and The Patriot, Steven Soderbergh's two films Erin Brockovich and Traffic, and some lesser known "art films" like Billy Elliot and You Can Count on Me, quality films have been in short supply. The really notable exception to this year's drought is Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.I saw this film over Christmas break in Washington D.C. To say that the audience was captivated would be a significant understatement. On two separate occasions the audience burst into applause in the middle of the film. They don't make them like they used to, but once in a while they make them even better.This may seem like an odd film for Ang Lee whose previous credits include Sense and Sensibility. What makes this film exceptional is that it combines the sensibilities of the romance film with the sensory ecstasy of a ballet. This film is frequently compared to The Matrix and the martial arts choreography is done by the same person--Yuen Wo-Ping. At many points the choreography is closer in style to the kinetic grace of ballet than to the rough-and-tumble action of the traditional fight scene.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of those films that has something for everyone. This is a traditional hero's quest where the central characters are trying to find a stolen sword that has great symbolic meaning for the characters. Unlike most Westerns or Samurai films wherein women are little more than moveable props, the women here are strong central characters in their own right. Romance is really at the center of the film and Ang Lee handles this part of the story with the same graceful unfolding that made Sense and Sensibility such an excellent film. Like The Matrix there are meanings at deeper levels where we find Jungian shadows, Yin and Yang, and almost anything else you want to look for.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has already won a number of awards including Golden Globes for best foreign language film and best director. Look for it to feature prominently in the Academy Award nominations. It may well become the third foreign language film in the past decade--Life is Beautiful and Il Postino being the other two--to be nominated for best picture. Whatever its destiny at the Academy Awards, this is clearly one of the best films of the year and is definitely worth a look.
merelyaninnuendo
Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonThe action sequences can be inedible for some viewers but one cannot deny the fact about the way they are projected, as they express rage, fury and vulnerability more than the performance can; this is a masterstroke by the makers and the primary reason of its definite impression that it leaves the audience with. The script doesn't bar any specific format and has a newer and smarter structure to offer, that is completely adaptive and enthralling in its own way of storytelling. Ang Lee; the director, has done a tremendous work on executing such an eerie and humane vision of its "meta-human" characters. It is rich on technical aspects like editing, sound department and choreography. The performance unfortunately is not something where the feature scores and the actors, too weren't given enough range and room to flaunt in or factor in except for the lead actress. Despite of brilliant execution, it fails to draw out the essential emotions from the screen which at a certain point, is what it completely relies upon and in the end leaves this hollow space floating in the air. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is actually hidden beneath its self-created legacy that is layered and installed subtly which is plausible but it also never goes loud even when it becomes essential.
jaredpahl
Before Ang Lee's foray into Chinese martial arts movies, the Wuxia film genre had only enjoyed a small cult following in the West. With Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it hit the mainstream. Steeped in the tradition of Wuxia, and fully celebratory of its genre's over-the-top conventions, Ang Lee's 2000 masterwork plays perfectly as an action-packed and rousing martial arts movie. That alone would be enough to champion this movie, but through sheer craftsmanship, Ang Lee and his collaborators have created something for which the word "transcendent" is meant. Crouching Tiger mines from its pulp heritage, a type of metaphysical artistry. The action is not just exciting, it is endlessly and exquisitely creative. The scenery is not just pretty, it is otherworldly in its beauty. The characters and story are not just interesting, they are mesmerizingly spiritual.Crouching Tiger is a classic romantic adventure, and while I have little experience with Chinese martial arts cinema, I assume its story sticks closely to well worn genre traits. Based on a book by Wang DuLu, the story centers around two women, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a veteran Wuxia warrior and Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang) a princess who dreams of living free of her upper class life, and their respective loves, the master warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and the renegade outlaw "Dark Cloud" (Chen Chang). In Jen's journey of self discovery, Li's philosophical meditation, and Yu Shu's liberating romance, the course is set for a sweeping, large-scale adventure. Crouching Tiger is exactly that; a rousing action fantasy full of fun and thrills. What's more is that it is also a stirring emotional experience. The three principle characters are effortlessly magnetic on screen. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh deliver the finest work of their careers here as lifelong friends and repressed lovers, and Zhang Ziyi is enchanting in the role that turned her into a Chinese sensation overnight. The story of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one that snuck up on me emotionally. There is a good deal of talky time spent discussing the plot of a stolen sword and a mysterious Jade Fox character, as well as a long flashback that apparently does little to forward the plot. The emotions are relatively understated for the first two-thirds of the movie, so when the character resolutions finally hit, they feel like body blows. The movie very subtly builds its themes and endears us to its characters. It is a remarkable feat of storytelling from scriptwriters Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus and Kuo Jung Tsai.Perhaps the most remarkable of Crouching Tiger's many remarkable elements are its martial arts action scenes. Under Ang Lee's direction, Peter Pau's cinematography and Yeun Woo-Ping's sensational fight choreography are given an elegant, mystical energy. The action in Crouching Tiger resonates like nothing I've ever seen before. It is fast, inventive, and so ceaselessly exciting, that it becomes more than just action. There is something hypnotic about its juxtaposition of sublime craftsmanship and pulpy cheesiness. It's enough that the fight scenes are perfect from a technical standpoint, but the tone here strikes the perfect balance of camp, fun, and danger. I've seen a lot of great action movies. None of them left my jaw on the floor every time the swords clash. Crouching Tiger did.If story and action weren't enough, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also excels in each and every one of the technical departments. The costumes, sets, and sound all radiate quality. The production values in Crouching Tiger are lightyears beyond its drive-in schlock cousins. Peter Pau's cinematography, which won him the most deserved Oscar in the history of the award, is a top-to-bottom perfect showcase of what a great cinematographer can do. Crouching Tiger is beyond beautiful to look at. The streets of Beijing, the vast Gobi desert, and the lush, green Bamboo forests are just a few of the standout locations in Crouching Tiger and Pau photographs them in a way that makes them feel like characters unto themselves.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an extraordinary piece of film. Plenty of movies claim to have "something for everyone", but few are able to master dozens of elements the way Crouching Tiger does. This is one of the great art house films ever made and also one of the great action spectaculars. How delightfully crazy is that to think? What Ang Lee has done with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is create pure art from the basic elements of a genre mostly accepted as meaningless junk. It's miraculous. Any way you look at it, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is magical.96/100
