Excellently executed escapist fantasy

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2003)

I'm not at all familiar with the sub genre of Chinese storytelling that this film is associated with/belongs to, so for all I know it might be a very poor example from an area of entertainment with a lot more to offer. But if that's true, then this is a truly stellar genre, as I adore this film!
Yes, it's slow-burning. Yes, the plot could be taken on the surface as paper thin. But this is cinematic escapism at it's very best. It makes me cringe when people criticise the film because the fight scenes are ridiculously unrealistic. Some people just don't get it. It helps to think of the battles as dances, balletic visual poetry (indeed Michelle Yeoh's background is in dance, not martial arts). "Crouching Tiger" contains some of the most equisite set pieces I've seen on film -the first fight scene between the two female leads, the bar brawl, and the lyrical final scene in the mountain- come immediately to mind. However, I found the treetop chase to be lacking somewhat in execution- it's a concept with good potential, but it translates clumsily onto screen.
The visual genius on display is supported by a beautifully subtle performance from Michelle Yeoh, contrasted by the starkly vital presence of Zhang Zi (I know I've spelt that wrong, oh well :S). They both eat up the screen with their charisma- you genuinely cannot take your eyes away from them. Yeoh is all slight quivers beneath deliberate control, eyes fixed in enigmatic amusement, potential tears always seeming only a moment away. Zi uses her incredible, manga-like eyes to convey likeable innocence when she playing at being the aristocrat, mischief when she is quipping like the all-American action heros so popular in the films made the other side of the Pacific, and an incredible anger when in the fight scenes. Zi is supported excellently by her eminently likeable, equally charismatic love interest, the ragged desert-dwelling thief. However Yeoh is, unfortunately, not matched by her male counterpart Chow Yun Fat, who turns in an oddly dispassionate, uninvolving performance. However, it's possible that he was good in the film, but the sizeable talent surrounding him merely suffocated any possibility of him coming across as anything more than mediocre.
And 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 between Zi the aristo and her lowly bit of criminal scruff (the latter being standard escapist, fairy tale fluff, executed perfectly). The final scene between Yeoh and Yun Fat's characters is infinitely more interesting than lesser film makers would make it, as there is no tragic final kiss, merely tears and regret. Perhaps the most interesting character dynamic is between the aging female outlaw Jade Fox, and her supposed muse, Zi.
The rave reviews this film recieved seems to have led to a lot of bitterness from viewers who were dissapointed by it. If you are accustomed to frenetically edited and paced action movies (and don't get me wrong, I love those movies when they're well done), or bone crunchingly realistic/gory fight scenes, this may not be for you. The film is often ponderous, concentrating on the characters and/or lush scenery as opposed to plot twists on every page. The fight scenes aren't about violence, but the beauty of two bodies communicating, an acrobatic, high speed dance of wills.
All in all: great performances, great cinematography, great direction, great scenery, great ending, great music, great set pieces, great characters. Great film.