You Do Not Have To Like Martial Arts Films To Love This Movie

Rating: 10/10 (17 April 2017)

Taiwanese director Ang Lee (THE WEDDING BANQUET, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, LIFE OF PI), perhaps the most versatile film craftsman his country has produced, gives us his take on the martial arts film with CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, a movie, like so many of Lee's works, that is greater than the sum of its parts. Watching this movie is like going on the best thrill ride in the new amusement park in town.
The story itself is minimalist in the extreme, centering on a prized sword owned by a great warrior, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat). He gives it to his friend and erstwhile lover Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) for safekeeping, but it is stolen by a notorious thief, Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-Pei). The remainder of the film is a quest to reclaim the sword, which falls into the hands of Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang), a disciple of the notorious Jade Fox who appears to have outdone her teacher.
The rest is a series of amazing fight scenes (there are a lot of these but somehow this movie never gets boring).
I won't reveal any more; the film really has to be experienced.
I am not a fan of the genre but this unique example is in a class by itself.