One of six films that I have rated a perfect 10

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2001)

It takes a lot for me to rate a movie a perfect 10. Not only does it have to be one of the best movies I have ever seen, the technical aspects of the movie (acting, directing, cinematography, etc.) must be astounding as well.
Crouching Tiger has amazed me every time I've seen it (which as of this writing is 4 times) with it's wonderful story, beautiful cinematography, and amazing acting.
Although I think that Yeoh and Chow are perfectly cast, the real star of this movie is Zhang Ziyi. I have never been so captivated by a character as I am with Ziyi's Jen.
I don't think my writing could do this movie justice, so I'll just say that since I became an avid movie fan about 10 years ago, this is the only movie that has made me laugh, amazed me with it's action sequences, and brought tears to my eyes (that one is particularly difficult to do) all within a two hour period. I still can't stop thinking about it! It's amazing I'm not sick of it by now. :)
To think I had to be practically dragged to the theater to see it the first time makes me feel pretty pathetic. I hope that if there are people like me reading this, who look down upon movies with martial arts in them, that they'll look past their prejudices for this film.
In my opinion, this is one of the best films of the decade, if not one of the best films ever made.
I'll be crossing my fingers for this one to win Best Picture and Best Foreign Picture come Oscar night.
-Mike