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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.
