film: review

> CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)
An amazing film that is well worth the wait...

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, and Chen Chang

Directed by: Ang Lee

Written by: Du Lu Wang (book), and adapted by Hui-Ling Wang (among others)

Genre: Adventure/Drama/Fantasy

Our Rating: 9 out of 10

I have waited nearly a year to see this film, and finally I got my chance. You would think that after all the hype that a film could never measure up to everything you have seen and heard, well, I am happy to say that in this case Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon met all my expectations. If the only thing that is keeping you from seeing this movie is having to read subtitles (yes, the film is not in English) then you should slap yourself. Director Ang Lee creates a wonderful mix of romance, action, adventure and elegance for this fairytale world. It is a rare treat that a film like this creates such a worldwide following, but when it does happen, you know you're in for something special.

The cast is quite amazing in itself. It includes my two favorite Asian actors, Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh. Both turn in some amazing work, especially Yeoh. I was also extremely impressed with 21 year-old Ziyi Zhang. It will be interesting to see where her career takes her. The plot follows a legendary warrior, Li Mu Bai, (Yun-Fat) who wants to give up his fighting days for more peaceful ones. He gives his magical sword to a friend, but someone who may or may not be the renowned Jade Fox steals it. At any rate the story follows the chase to regain the sword, and includes all kinds of action, drama and love tossed into the middle of it all.

My one major complaint about the film is related to the plot. This film was supposedly adapted after the third book in the series, much like the first Star Wars film. However, in this film I felt a bit like the audience was thrown into the story with too little background. There seems to be some crucial information just touched upon throughout the film that is very relevant to the time covered in this story. Just a minor complaint though.

The story occurs in ancient China, in a time and place where combatants could fly gracefully. The same man who designed the fight sequences for The Matrix, Woo-ping Yuen, choreographed the action in this film. While there are clearly some similarities in styles, this film really takes it to the next level because of the fantasy feel of the film. These action sequences are more like ballets than purely fistfights. There are battles on the sides of buildings, over ponds, through trees. It is really all quite visually exciting! My words here cannot describe these scenes in nearly enough detail; they must be seen to be believed. Please, I urge you to take the time to check out and appreciate this film. You won't see many quite like this one, and so beautifully done.

I saw this film at the Tinseltown theaters on upper Peach Street in Erie.

PROs: The story, the cast, the action, the direction.

CONs: Not enough background on previous storylines.

(01-0308)

related links:

Crouching Tiger - official site