A Beautiful Movie

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2001)

This is a truly great movie. All the talk about the fighting sequences, flying and special effects don't really in my opinion begin to describe why this movie is so good. I think that Crouching Tiger is very similar to Titanic in that the story of the boat sinking and the cost of the film and the hype of Dicaprio's starring were really just distant background to a darkly intense story about courage and love. In the same way, the martial arts fighting in Crouching is really just background (a very interesting and exciting one) to a story about meaning in life. The real story is the integrity, loyalty, growth and honesty of the characters. From the innocent beginning of the master's telling of his difficulty in finding peace in his meditations to the devastating honesty of the ending - this movie is an emotional rollercoaster. The music/soundtrack is viciously haunting and mournful. The cello playing by Yo-Yo ma is so beautiful. I remember halfway through the film being momentarily stunned when I realized I was watching a subtitled movie. This movie should be released as widely as possible. I am sure it is in for a titanic of a ride.