Review of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) by Summer D — 15 Jan 2010

This time, I really noticed how Ang Lee makes his martial arts adventure an art film. The story could have been melodramatic, but instead Lee handles it subtly, complicating the story with themes of patriarchal control, repression, and hypocrisy.

The tangled narrative is stripped down to only the essential scenes; likewise, the characters' complexities are revealed with as little explanation as possible. The beautiful landscapes and interiors convey much of the emotion, and, as in Lee's other movies, longing looks and thoughtful eyes say so much.

Chow Yun-Fat is particularly excellent as Master Li Mu Bai, conveying wisdom and weariness, as well as the weight of his character's legendary past, in just a few scenes. Shots are often static, and if the camera moves the movement is restrained.

In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Lee captures that minimal, precise, and elegantly composed East Asian aesthetic.