Starring Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen.
Directed by Ang Lee. Subtitled and very easy to follow.
Master Li (Yun-Fat) is a renowned Chinese Wudan warrior considering retirement.
He gives his sword, the Green Destiny, to his close confident Yui (Yeoh) to offer
as a gift to a Beijing friend. While there she meets the beautiful daughter of
the Beijing chief security officer, Jen (Zhang Ziyi). Jen is soon to be married, but is not
too keen to do so. She expresses her longing for the freedom Yui has. But Yui
informs her honour, integrity and loyalty are key traits of the Wudan warrior, so
she is not really free at all.
That night, the sword is stolen by a lightning fast thief. Yui confronts the thief,
but the thief gets away. Soon, Li arrives in Beijing and learns that his sword has
been stolen. While trying to get it back, he learns the Jade Fox is also in Beijing,
she being the woman who killed his master and stole the Wudan manual years ago. Yui knows
who has stolen the Green Destiny - it is Jen. And Li discovers that Jen has mastered
many of the Wudan techniques, far better than the Jade Fox has. He wants to tutor Jen,
but she refuses. On her wedding day, Jen bolts, for reasons you will learn. And
the adventure is just beginning.
Director Ang Lee, who has previously tackled to acclaim such diverse material
as the costume drama Sense and Sensibility, the family conflict Ice Storm
and the western Ride the Devil, returns to direct his first martial
arts film and it is a spectacular, magical fable. The China we see is a beautifully
photographed, almost dreamy creation. The fight scenes at first seem artificial
- the actors move on wires, flying
through the air and running over water and rooftops. But as time goes by, it becomes
part of the fantasy and works well. The fight scenes are thrilling, especially
between the two female leads. One bar fight to end all bar fights was so energetic,
funny and entertaining the audience broke into immediate applause at its conclusion.
There are two types of martial arts, the Jackie Chan Shaolin street-fighting style,
and the more graceful, gentler and spiritual Wudan style used here. Choreographer
Yuen Wo-Ping,
used in The Matrix among other films, has fashioned consistently stylish and
thrilling action sequences. But this film is so much more substantial than just
a martial arts film. The script beautifully combines thoughtful dialogue with
understated humour. But what most separates this from other chop-sockey films and most
other action films is the strong female presence. In a country based upon male
superiority and female subserviance, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon treats
the female protagonists as worthy fighters and fully capable persons who deserve
to choose the course of their lives. One dominant theme in the film is expressed
by Yui telling Jen that above all else she should be true to herself and choose
her own life path. Also unusual is the strongly
written dual romantic subplots. Unlike many overwrought Hollywood-style love stories,
the drama here is restrained and truly romantic. The romance and entire film is
enhanced by a haunting score featuring Yo Yo Ma and traditional Chinese instruments.
The actors speak in Mandarin, which each actor had to learn phonetically. And all
four lead performances are standouts, each physically capable to believably be skilled
warriors. Yun-Fat projects spiritual calm and strength of character. Yeoh is like a cat,
cooly but ready to strike fiercely. Newcomer Zhang Ziyi is gorgeous, and ably
embodies a free-spirited spitfire. Chang Chen is excellent as the rebel gang leader,
handling his role with considerable panache and humour. And if you're worried about
the subtitles, they are easily readable and not an impediment to understanding the
film at all. This is my pick for best film of the year, and I doubt if any film
still to come this year will exceed it.
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