Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Reviews

I was absolutely mesmerised by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Everything about it is breathtaking, it is nothing short of a poetic, visually gorgeous martial arts masterpiece. As much as I did love Brokeback Mountain, I think this is Ang Lee's best film. Speaking of Lee, he is a fine director, and does a superb job with his direction on this film. The story is easy to follow, but there is also a certain complexity to it as it explores the perennial themes of love, loyalty, duty and sacrifice, while the script is wonderfully poetic and the pace rarely lags.

The characters are also hugely credible. They could have been clichéd easily, but actually they have surprisingly so much depth to them and at the end you admire them. The visuals, music, stunt work and acting are what really impress though. The film looks gorgeous, all Ang Lee's films look beautiful but this gets my vote as his most visually stunning. The cinematography is beautiful, and the scenery and costumes are exquisite. The stunt work is brilliantly choreographed and the special effects actually enhance rather than distract. The music is just gorgeous, there were a few scenes where I was reduced to tears. And there are many memorable scenes especially the jaw-dropping rooftop pursuit and tree top battle. As for the acting, Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh both excel, and I was surprised in a very good way by Zhang Ziyi who is electrifying as the teenage thief.

In conclusion, this is a breathtaking film and a must see for anyone who loves martial arts or visually stunning movies especially. 10/10 Bethany Cox

It would be much better movie if there was no flying and jumping around. I really loved the action scenes.

I am a huge fan of Ang Lee's films. This one is beautifully action-packed, shot, and had some really incredible stunts.

People see this film in different ways. The balletic moves are sometimes scorned by people who expect realism. But this is really a love poem within a dream, albeit a very vivid one. It has interesting nods to the eight-fold path and Siddhartha's struggle but doesn't overdo things. Very watchable.

This film really surprised me. It's very well made and stunning to watch. The scenery is spectacular, the film alone could be used as an advertisement for Tourism in China. The action sequences are unbelievable and the three main stars are very well cast. This is a visual feast.

This was the film that set the notion for rebuilding of interest in Eastern martial art, period piece among the Westerners. Ang Lee did a marvellous job in telling the story about a young, rebellious girl who wants to escape from her life, sentenced for loveless marriage. In her attempt, she bumps into two martial experts who in turn, care for her more than she has expected. However, due to her immaturity, one dies.

''A faithful heart makes wishes come true.''

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Yun-Fat Chow: Master Li Mu Bai

If I had to sum up Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in just three simple words, they would be Enthralling, Mystical and Mesmerizing.
The story is so well thought out and it goes excellently with some of Asia's biggest movie stars namely Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat.The scenery and the photography was beyond belief. The majestic landscapes of China match imagination when I read all the beautiful Chinese poems of the respective Tang and Sung dynasties. No wonder poets in these eras could come up with masterpieces. They sure had the best inspiration.



Peter Pau not only captured the landscapes and the settings, he also managed to capture the fast-as-lightening action/choreography wonderfully. The shot of Jen gliding over water just lodged in my mind. The soundtrack also is beyond excellence. Tan Dun used different instruments to match the different locales. He mixed in Central Asian music in the desert sequence and Chinese flute in the Southern China scenes. Yo-yo Ma's cello in the main theme makes me want to shed a tear everytime heard.

Now onto the plot, often accused of being far too simple and "high-concept" for such a critically acclaimed film. I would disagree. Certainly, this isn't an exercise in senseless "the-plot-rules-all" film making promoted by many a summer movie. The plot not only serves the characters, but IS the characters, their interactions and relationships. The restrained dynamic between Yun Fat and Yeoh is played against the sparky, lusty affair and her lowly bit of criminal scruff (the latter being standard escapist, fairy tale material, executed perfectly). The final scene between Yeoh and Yun Fat's characters is infinitely more interesting than lesser film makers would achieve, as there is no tragic final kiss but merely tears and regret. Perhaps the most interesting character dynamic is between the aging female outlaw Jade Fox, and her supposed muse, Zi.

The storytelling was done so expertly. As a romantic love story, loving the desert romance between Jen and Lo. It's one of the most charming and believable bonds that I can recollect. Most people gave credit of the fighting to Yuen Wo Ping. I'd give respect also to Ang Lee. I've seen Yuen's martial art films before, but they're never done in such a diverse, an imaginative and artistic way.

The artistic mastery has to come from visionary Ang Lee who has crafted on his canvas of film a beautiful artistic masterpiece.

A martial arts film that decides that it's not goin to be one.
Many forms of physical combat like to brag of itself as being a form of violent ballet, but Crouching Tiger Hidden dragon is one that just wants to portray it martial arts as an art tool that blends into the majesty of the story's theme of honor, love & wisdom, that this film ends up laying claim to that dance-metaphor that the other fighting films wish they could be truly worthy of.
No character in this film, no matter how small, is colored in the simple black & white colors of good & evil, and all are dutied bound by a personal sense of honor. And both men & women are equally capable in either mastefully full contact engagement or scaling the walls & even the very air in gravity defying leaps that serve more to enhance the fable-like atmosphere of the story.
Intelligent, straightforward & "martially artistic", Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a pure fun action flick merged into a story whose simplicity is hidden behind the human depth of a group of characters who believe their respective situations to be truly epic.



A film that makes me realize just how much I luvs me some wuxia.