Review of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) by Blake P — 19 Jul 2012

In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Pei-pei).

He gives his sword, an ancient weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend and secret love Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh), so that she can deliver it to Sir Te (Lung). Upon arrival in Peking, Yu happens upon Jen (Ziyi), a politician's daughter.

That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with Yu in hot pursuit-- but eventually the thief gets away. Li arrives in Beijing and discovers that Jen is not only the masked thief but also works for Jade Fox.

In spite of this, Li sees great talent in Jen as a fighter and wants to teach her. But will she be up for it? "Crouching Tiger, Hiding Dragon" is the biggest, and the baddest of all of the famed "wuxias", a genre for the more epic martial arts films.

Lee, who is usually known for directing gritty dramas or thought-provoking comedies, comes out of his comfort zone, and creates what I believe to be his best film. With most action films, you just want to be entertained, but with "Crouching Tiger", it not only delivers thrills like mega blockbusters, but it also has a terrific story-line that keeps you interested every second.

The choreography for the fight scenes are especially breath-taking-- I've never seen any so excellent. But the film is so intelligent that not only does it never resort to take the easy way out, but it also deals with issues that plagued the world during the 19th century.

Only Lee could do that. And to top it al off, the acting, but Ziyi and Yeoh especially, is so terrific that it gives the film a meaty emotional resonance. Combined with everything else, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a perfect film.

Highly recommended.