Review of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) by Stevenf — 01 Sep 2013

This is martial arts at its finest, a film where everybody is fighting for something, there is always a sense when watching a classic martial arts film that when these fight scenes happen, the artists involved appreciate and respect the skill of their enemy or counterpart, and director Ang Lee has respected this essence in this epic tale.

Not only does he create some spectacular scenes of awe and beauty, but he also has a compelling and fluid story that equally matches the action, a feat that may seem impossible, given the ambitious, heroic and gravity-defying segments that are played out as a well choreographed drama that surprises throughout, it's a riveting fantasy but also keeps a very grounded element and human touch to drive the film forward.

The story surrounds a very ancient and sought-after sword, owned by veteran warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) who is now passing it along as a gift, something that surprises many, including his fellow warrior and longtime love interest Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). But the such a sought after sword is not safe anywhere and a cunning but unknown thief steals the sword, setting various pieces of the puzzle into place, we are also introduced to Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), who has a deep interest in the work of the warriors, but leads a very routine life and is soon to be married. She is the dark horse of the film, where it becomes clear that all is not as it seems with this mysterious girl.

This ties in well with the spectacular scenes of action involving roof chases, wall climbing and some very impressive sequences that were all done without computer generated actions, these actors and actresses did most of their own work, and it is the seamless motion of these moments, paired with an intriguing and in depth story that make this one of the best martial arts films ever made, it has moments of grandeur but also never let's go of its humility, which combines love, loss, anger and respect,all while also showing some groundbreaking fight sequences that will truly be viewed as unmatched.

Great performances, excellent direction and expert cinematography which creates a mesmerising film of epic proportions, it has a simple premise but is delivered on a much broader and intertwining story arc that keeps on giving right to the credits.