CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
------------------------------
When legendary Wudan warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat, "Anna and the King")
entrusts his ancient green sword to Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh, "Tomorrow
Never Dies") for transport to Sir Te (Sihung Lung, "Eat Drink Man Woman")
in Peking, she wonders at his decision - is he finally ready to declare
long unspoken emotions and settle down with her? The sword, however, is
covetted by a mysterious new warrior, apparently the protege of Li Mu Bai's
long time enemy Jade Fox (Pei-pei Cheng), and is stolen on its first night
in Sir Te's study. Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien are pulled back into the
life of the swordfighter as their romance is reflected by that of a younger
couple in director Ang Lee's ("Sense and Sensibility") "Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon."
Ang Lee established himself in the filmmaking world with his Chinese trilogy
of patriarchal films "Pushing Hands," "The Wedding Banquet," and "Eat Drink
Man Woman." He then further proved himself with three wildly different
English language speaking films, "Sense and Sensibility," "The Ice Storm"
and "Ride With the Devil." Now he tries his hand at the Chinese martial arts
genre he grew up with and delivers an epic entertainment that may very well
cross over from the art house to American multiplexes.
The story (screenplay by Hui-Ling Wang ("Eat Drink Man Woman), James Schamus,
Kuo Jung Tsai) contains all the elements of a genre romantic fantasy adventure.
There's a fantastic sword, not unlike a Jedi knight's light saber, whose
owner has developed mixed feelings for after years of bloodshed. Li Mu Bai
and Yu Shu Lien's love is clear for all to see, yet long denied by themselves
(for noble reasons, of course, as she was once betrothed to his brother who
was killed in action). A new fighter emerges in a most unexpected guise,
Jen Yu (newcomer Ziyi Zhang), the daughter of an aristrocat promised in an
unwanted arranged marriage. Jen is caught between a natural inclination
towards good and the evil that is her governess/teacher - the infamous Jade
Fox. Her lover is Lo (Chen Chang, "Happy Together"), a gypsy bandit who
once had the audacity to attempt to steal her hair comb. The flashback
which fills in the history of Jen and Lo's romance is one of the highlights
of the film - sexy, funny, touching and of course, full of action.
The screenplay delivers with several story lines intermingled, all
evoking the full spectrum of human emotion. Of course, the story is
studded with numerous action sequences, featuring the balletic fight
choreography of Yen Woo-Ping ("The Matrix"). While most of his work
is exemplary (particularly the fights between Jen and Yu Shu), I found the
'flying' sequences a bit too fantastical. Skipping over water and
fighting atop a bamboo forest work, but the rest of the action would
have been better served a bit more earthbound. Cinematography by Peter
Pau ("The Bride with White Hair") captures the action while also broadening
scope to capture breathtaking scenery in both green, misty mountain terrain
and sun scorched deserts. Tim Squyres' editting is top notch. The film is
gorgeously scored by Tan Dun, featuring the work of celloist Yo Yo Ma.
Michelle Yeoh should be receiving some serious attention for a Best Actress
nomination. Her subtle work here is heart breaking and the most compelling
in the film. On the opposite end of the scale, Chen Chang ("Happy Together")
gives a rousingly endearing performance as the sexy, good hearted bandit Lo,
while newcomer Ziyi Zhang demonstrates she's got the moves. Chow Yun Fat
is a bit hampered by the legendary status of his character, to which he brings
enormous nobility. Sihung Lung ("Eat Drink Man Woman") is humorously sage
as Sir Te.
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has something for everyone. It's a huge
film by a director who must now be regarded as a world class auteur.
A-
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