Review of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) by Robert T — 03 Dec 2010

I will begin to say that I have never seen a legit "kung-fu" film. I am completely new to the genre, the closest film I ever saw to this type was "The Matrix" (in it's fight scenes only). I generally am not a fan of martial arts movies, as all of the action tends to look the same, and starts being more about the cool moves that, lets face it, we have all seen before, and less about the characters and plot involved.

That said, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has one of the richest and most beautiful stories to grace the genre it comes from. While the english dubbing may be frustrating, the characters are compelling, the story is excellently told, and the fight scenes are actually motivated by (Gasp!) the characters and plot. Nothing in this film doesn't genuinely come from the heart, and you can see the passion Ang Lee has for the story on the screen.

Overall, a brilliant film that works in almost every way possible, kinetically and emotionally. Two Thumbs way up!